Saibosi partners with Wools of New Zealand to showcase farm-to-floor wool rugs in China
Chinese textile company Saibosi has partnered with Wools of New Zealand to put the 'farm to floor' story of New Zealand wool rugs on screen for its customers.
Funds left over from wool levies collected by Meat & Wool New Zealand – now Beef + Lamb New Zealand - have supported the development of a new fabric that blends waste rice straw and New Zealand strong wool.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand chief operating officer, Cros Spooner welcomed the innovation from Wellington company, The Formary, the same company that transformed Starbucks coffee sacks into upholstery fabric for the coffee chain's furniture.
"The Formary and managing director Bernadette Casey have made some valuable contacts in China which produces about 200 million tonnes of rice a year. This makes vast amounts of waste rice straw and this latest innovation uses the waste rice straw and blends it with 29 micron wool to make upholstery weight fabric.
"Beef + Lamb New Zealand is delighted the company has found some new uses for New Zealand strong wool and is pleased to support the development of the fabric.
"The blend of wool and rice straw creates a hard-wearing fabric and provides a useful solution for the waste straw which would usually be burnt, affecting the air quality in China. This is great from a sustainability perspective too."
Spooner says this sort of innovation created opportunities for New Zealand strong wool and ultimately benefited sheep farmers.
This project was one of seven entrepreneurial wool projects to be awarded a share of half a million dollars in remaining wool levies to boost the wool industry and benefit farmers.
Two butcheries have claimed victory at the 100% New Zealand Bacon & Ham Awards for 2025.
A Taupiri farming company has been convicted and fined $52,500 in the Hamilton District Court for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent into the environment.
The Climate Change Commission’s 2025 emissions reduction monitoring report reveals steady progress on the reduction of New Zealand’s climate pollution.
Another milestone has been reached in the fight against Mycoplasma bovis with the compensation assistance service being wound up after helping more than 1300 farmers.
The Government’s directive for state farmer Landcorp Farming (trading as Pamu) to lifts its performance is yielding results.
The move to bring bovine TB testing in-house at Ospri officially started this month, as a team of 37 skilled and experienced technicians begin work with the disease eradication agency.
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