Press Release: 12/5/2022
Ground-breaking World-First Carbon Neutral Menswear Journey Comes To Hobart Today
Premium Australian-owned menswear brand, M.J. Bale, will today (May 12) start a journey in Hobart to produce arguably the world’s first net zero-emission woollen knitwear, helping to kickstart Made in Australia wool processing and manufacturing.
A boat will sail from Constitution Dock with carbon-neutral wool across Bass Strait to the 102-year-old Riversdale Mill in Geelong, Victoria. The sailing trip is anticipated to take up to five days.
The journey started with the carbon positive-accredited Tasmanian wool growing farm, Kingston, and local seaweed producer, Sea Forest, which produces eco-friendly seaweed called asparagopsis that dramatically reduces the methane emissions from the farm’s sheep.
In 2021 the farm produced 105 kilograms of carbon neutral wool from 48 of its sheep in the Sea Forest trial, 35 kg of which was transported the 200 kilometres to Hobart by bicycle, piloted by sailor/adventurer Grant Maddock (AKA: Two Dogs).
Following the sail across Bass Strait, the wool will then be processed into top, spun and then hand-knitted into prototype knits in regional Australia, in a process expected to take up to four months
Grant said “I have spent my life dedicated to identifying solutions to our environmental problems and have followed the M.J. Bale story with great interest as the company is at the forefront of the fashion industry in combating climate change.
“Partnerships with industry are key to us healing the environment and I am proud to be part of the solution being put forward by M.J. Bale, Sea Forest and Kingston”, he added.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of M.J. Bale, Mr Matt Jensen, said “Our world first trial of the zero-emission woollen products is a major step forward for the global fashion industry. This journey is also intent on revitalizing the Australian wool processing and manufacturing industry, seeing whether we can create a supply chain for our products entirely in Australia.
“We expect to be selling zero-emission clothing through our 70 stores across Australia, the majority of which are already green-energy powered, and we have now offset our entire carbon footprint”, he added.
The remaining Kingston zero-emission wool grown from the Sea Forest seaweed will be shipped to one of Europe’s oldest and most sustainable weavers in Biella, Italy, Vitale Barberis Canonico, to weave the Super 150s worsted cloth to made into an anticipated 250 limited edition blazers at M.J. Bale’s tailoring atelier in the Iwate Prefecture, Japan.
Issued By:
Tim Allerton
City PR
0412 715 707
