The demand for sustainable materials is steadily increasing, but at the same time the majority of Swedish wool is thrown away - not least wool from Dalarna. To meet the demand and reduce waste, 20 sheep owners, companies and researchers are joining forces to focus specifically on wool collection in Dalarna and the surrounding area. The aim is to transform Swedish wool into a valuable and sustainable raw material for construction, furniture, fashion, outdoor and home decoration. The project is a follow-up to The Swedish Wool Initiative and is led by Axfoundation together with Dalarna Science Park.
- "We want to strengthen the first part of the value chain and find efficient ways to manage the logistics. Through the pilot in Dalarna, we are establishing a regional wool station and at the same time learning lessons about what collection nationally could look like to handle larger volumes," says Lina Sofia Lundin, project manager at Dalarna Science Park.
The Swedish Wool Initiative is one of the industrial projects that Dalarna Science Park is working on that deals with residual streams. Wool is a very promising material that can replace fossil-based raw materials, but wool is currently seen as a by-product from Swedish farms that often have the primary purpose of producing meat and keeping pastures open. Among other things, there is a lack of functioning infrastructure to scale up the collection of wool from farms around Sweden, not least in Dalarna, and it is difficult to quality assure the wool in a cost-effective way.
The ambition is to set up a wool collection point in Dalarna, make it easy to quality assure wool through a national wool classification system, and develop innovative circular products using Swedish wool as raw material together with leading brands. Sheep owner Peter Andersson is one of many farmers who want to take care of the large amount of wool his sheep produce every year.
- "We need to solve the logistics of collection and classification so that the right wool is used for the right thing. But it is also important that we sheep owners receive reasonable payment for the wool," says sheep owner Peter Andersson at Nyby Farm in Borlänge, where the planned collection will take place this fall.
The project brings together actors from the entire Swedish wool value chain, from sheep farmers to Swedish companies in industries such as construction, furniture, fashion, outdoor and home furnishings.
- "We are bringing together a wide range of actors who normally compete but who are now working together to find common concrete solutions that benefit everyone. This is an incredibly important step towards a sustainable and circular industry," says Johan Sidenmark, Axfoundation.
- Read more about The Swedish Wool Initiative
- Download the Swedish Wool Standard - a national classification system for Swedish wool
Photo: Henrik Hansson
