Methane Reduced Wool
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The Prognosis
A 2019 M.J. Bale carbon footprint scoping study into the greenhouse gas emissions related to our two-piece Merino wool suits discovered that 52% of all emissions came from the production of the wool itself; 70% of these emissions came from the methane emissions of the Merino sheep themselves. We began working with our single-source wool partner, Kingston farm in the Tasmanian northern Midlands, and Tasmanian asparagopsis seaweed producer, Sea Forest, on a solution: methane-reduced wool. CSIRO studies showed that methane emissions are reduced by between 80%-90% when ruminant livestock are fed this native seaweed as just 0.2% of their daily diet.
A World First
Using the first ever commercial batch of Sea Forest’s asparagopsis seaweed, Kingston farmer Simon Cameron began feeding 48 Merino ewes a mix of seaweed and barley each day for 300 consecutive days.
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Wool Power
After 300 consecutive days the 48 Merino ewes were shorn, producing a total of 105kg of greasy superfine wool. Despite concerns the wool might be lacking Kingston’s renowned quality and consistency, the wool was declared to be “of usual hgh standard.”
Trial Report
The University of Tasmania’s analysis of the trial concluded asparagopsis seaweed “shows the promise… to reduce the methane production of sheep and therefore decrease greenhouse gas emissions.”
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Upscale
In 2021 M.J. Bale and Kingston made the decision to upscale the project, this time feeding 500 Merino sheep the asparagopsis daily. Shearing in October 2022 yielded a record 1.35 tonne of greasy methane-reduced wool.
Net Zero Knits
In 2022 we made a decision to create knitwear entirely in Australia, and via the lowest carbon footprint possible. The result was another world first: Net Zero Knits.
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