Giving Wool Waste A New Life.

Our sustainability journey started close to 30 years ago, when employees at Godfrey Hirst introduced the concept of recycling wool in 1994. These efforts continue as part of the GH Commercial Product Stewardship initiative.

Today, we produce significantly less waste from yarn manufacturing, therefore there’s less to recycle with 2–10% of recycled yarn now being used back in product. This also means we’re making considerable savings by recycling our own waste for re-use, rather than purchasing surplus virgin wool.

A combined effort across the Tasman

In Australia, we proudly transport the waste from our Geelong tufting facility to a centre that supports the employment of people with disabilities. Here, staff remove waste from the yarn cones and place them into bales. Our New Zealand factory is set up with the right machinery (and operates more cost effectively from this location), it’s here the waste is machined back to the fibre along with waste from two local spinning factories, separated by colour and placed into the product. Any unused yarn is finally sold to a supplier to be given a second life in entirely new products. 

Believing in our people for better solutions

Under our sustainability framework of Believe in Better, we challenge ourselves and our employees to find ways we can recycle, re-use and reprocess across the business. Thanks to our inspired team in Australia and New Zealand, we’re developing local solutions to environmental challenges. And as we work towards supporting a more circular set-up, from manufacturing to end-of-life, we believe we can create a better tomorrow.

Our sustainability journey is making a difference.