Discover our story
It has been our aim at twool since 2010 to develop a range of sustainable British made products using natural, renewable UK resources. Wool is produced in abundance in the UK and is underused.
Bringing twool products to market, however, meant overcoming a series of challenges. Having a ready supply of wool was a step in the right direction but, finding the process to manufacture it in the UK wasn’t easy. Kim explains: “We have lost so much of our textile industry here in the UK. The heart of the industry still remains in Yorkshire, but mills have had to adapt as our demand for finer wool imports increases.”
twool products are made from rare breed Whiteface Dartmoor wool so promotes and protects one of Britain’s ancient breeds of sheep. The breed are indigenous to Dartmoor and have been grazing the land since Saxon times.
Our wool is collected at source from farmers who practise regenerative agriculture. Good land management promotes the environment and rotational grazing promotes higher growth rates in grass increasing the organic matter of the soil this, in turn captures more carbon. Sheep eat. Shear. repeat.
Our dyes are low impact dyes, this means less water is required in the rinse process due to the higher rate of absorption, therefore, the dyes have a lower impact on the environment. Low-impact dyes also typically do not contain heavy metals nor do they require toxic mordants to fix them. The dye and rinse water are recycled and used again. Low-impact dyes are generally considered eco-friendly and are often preferable to natural dyes because:
- natural dyes require a much larger quantity of dye and a much larger volume of water for the dye process
- natural dyes require the use of chemical mordants to fix them
Through collaboration with British heritage manufacturers every obstacle has been overcome, thanks to a blossoming relationship between people with unique skill sets – from Dartmoor farmers to spinners and weavers in Yorkshire, everyone has their twool role to play!
‘Our commitment to sustainability, social value, British wool & British Heritage manufacturing has resulted in a sustainable range of products made with care and thought for the environment. Change must happen to save our world and small changes collectively can make a huge impact.’
twool traceability
Using the wool from our local Whiteface Dartmoor sheep ensures that it’s origins are traceable and that we are supporting British farming. We collect our wool directly from our farmers on Dartmoor and pay them a fair price for their wool. Every manufacturing process is done right here in Britain meaning you can have confidence in the knowledge that you are supporting British heritage manufacturing businesses.
twool and sustainable oceans
Our latest work sees us working along side the Marine Materials Application Group at Queens University Belfast to explore the use of more sustainable materials in the fishing industry. This exciting and important project uses twool rope and nets to investigate the efficacy of ‘more sustainable’ natural substrata for seeding and farming kelp species with the aim to reduce our reliance on synthetic twine and ropes currently used throughout the industry. Click here to find out more about this project.
The story of twool!
