Best Wool to use Laneve for Erutan brand

04 Feb '11

3 min read

Innovative wool carpet manufacturer Best Wool Carpets, of the Netherlands, has selected Laneve as the principal fibre for Erutan, a 100 per cent natural carpet that is totally recyclable.

Erutan is made using two new revolutionary technologies to create a 100 per cent eco-friendly carpet. Wool is processed using a chemical-free scouring process that uses 90% less energy than current technologies giving a substantial cost saving while another innovative process is employed to bind the woollen fibre to linen backing without the use of synthetic backing materials or glues. This first 100 per cent natural carpet will have outstanding appeal to the growing cohort of consumers for whom sustainability is a key purchasing consideration.

The arrangement to use Laneve was confirmed yesterday with the signing of a Letter of Understanding by Wool Partners International and Erutan BV, a joint venture company formed by Best Wool Carpets and James and Bond Textile Research, the owners of the Erutan brand and process.

Best Wool Carpets Managing Director Yvar Monasch says the potential for Erutan is outstanding.

“With Wool Partners help I am 100 per cent sure we will conquer the carpet world with Erutan.”

Wool Partners International Chief Executive Officer Iain Abercrombie says the natural, traceable and sustainable qualities of ethically produced Laneve wool are a natural fit for Erutan.

“This is a game changing opportunity for New Zealand wool growers and fits our overall strategy of positioning Laneve and Wools of New Zealand brands as fulfilling the needs of consumers who demand a luxurious natural carpet.”

“Erutan has the potential to substantially lift the demand for New Zealand wool and the returns growers receive for it. We can only guess at the volumes of wool that might be required for carpet with all the natural and sustainable qualities consumers say they want and that are demanded by architects and designers who have to meet stringent environmental standards when specifying floor coverings for commercial buildings.”

Erutan will be officially launched in the Netherlands at the World Horticultural Expo in 2012 but it is already attracting the interest of leading carpet manufacturers.

Mr Monasch says the technology will be licensed to carpet makers who will also be required to pay royalties for the use of the Laneve brand.

“The end product is 100 per cent recyclable. After a lifetime's use Erutan can be turned back into grass to start the process over again. It can even be re-processed and seeded with grass to help return despoiled land to productive use,” Mr Monasch says. Most wool carpet is currently burnt at the end of its life.

Erutan was developed by Best Wool Carpets in conjunction with two other Dutch entities, Bond Textile Research and James.

Wools Partners International

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