Breakthrough research creates pigments made of wool
If you were told that the red in your lipstick, the yellow in the logo on your T-shirt or the blue on your car’s steering wheel came from wool from your local farmer, would you believe it?
The colours are created thanks to a breakthrough development by Wool Source, which has produced a bio-based pigment made of 100% wool that provides the same colour intensity as synthetic pigments and is biodegradable.
“In a world where sustainability and environmental profile is increasingly becoming important, we work as a really good replacement for synthetic compounds,” Wool Source chief executive Tom Hooper said.
Other countries had made similar developments with a black bio-based pigment, but Wool Source was the first to make a breakthrough with a coloured pigment, he said.
Wool Source was launched in 2020 by the Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand. It tests the market potential for products developed through the New Uses for Strong Wool programme, to help drive demand for wool over synthetics.
The programme breaks wool down to a molecular level so it can be reconstructed into three products: particles, powders and pigments.
The breakthrough pigment is one of those, made from a carrier particle that can absorb dye.
“Wool has always been one of the best natural materials at absorbing dye, but not quite as good as synthetics,” Hooper said.
“A synthetic compound is petrochemical, so it doesn’t break down, but it's designed to hold really intense colour.
“We’ve since had a really big
“We work as a really good replacement for synthetic compounds.” Wool Source chief executive Tom Hooper
breakthrough, and we can now get to the same colour intensity as synthetic pigments.”
To match existing requirements for inks and pigments, the carrier particle is about a micron in size.
It took 2½ years to get the right colour intensity and create a small enough carrier particle. Now Wool Source is looking to take the product to market.
From T-shirt and paper printing, to cosmetics and car interiors, there would be a range of opportunities for the pigment, Hooper said.
“The markets that we go to for these products are all international. They're all Europe, America, Asia-focused, very big companies ... we've got strong buy-in from some big firms.”
Despite interest mostly coming from overseas, Hooper said Wool Source’s focus was to build a New Zealand production facility and use local wool.
“Wool Source will only use New Zealand wool, build it in New Zealand and capture the value-add in New Zealand.
“This is going to be for New Zealand growers and the wool industry.”
The product was already looking promising, he said, with a lipstick created by Wool Source in collaboration with cosmetic brand Karen Murrell.
The development placed New Zealand well ahead of any other country, Hooper said. “We have eight patents in this space, and we have a really good view of the global IP around us. We're well in front of everybody.”
Wool Source’s use of Kiwi wool could benefit the industry, with the prospect of increasing demand and prices for wool.
Hooper said he was aware of the scepticism in the wool industry, so while Wool Source had the critical discovery down pat, he acknowledged that it still had to finalise the product before promises could be made.
“We've got to get all of these things right to be successful. We've got workable products – now we’ve got to do everything that you need to take a workable product to market.”