TMC Develops Durable Performance RePurposed Wool
TMC Develops Durable Performance RePurposed Wool
New Zealand-based TMC Ltd., has introduced Herculan, a patented technology developed by making ground-up modifications to TMC’s proprietary Nuyarn spinning machines, enabling the equipment to accommodate strong wool — the coarsest and most durable grade of wool fibers (>38 microns) historically suitable only for interior textiles, like flooring and upholstery. The result is a product that offers improved performance benefits of wool coupled with enhanced durability and sustainability for the apparel sector.
“Carpet wool” as it’s known in the industry, has a low market value, and as such is often discarded in landfills. According to the International Wool Textile Organization (IWTO) it is estimated that anywhere from 40-50 percent of the global wool yield is Interior Textile Wool. With TMC’s new technology, these coarse long wool fibers are drafted around a performance filament, creating an extremely fine yarn — Herculan — which, pound for pound, outlasted some of the industry’s leading synthetic textiles in the Martindale abrasion tests, according to TMC.
Based on its functional and comfort qualities, Herculan is a good fit for high-impact zones in apparel such as socks, footwear, gloves, pants and outerwear.
“When we first started working to transition carpet wool into the apparel sector, everyone thought we were crazy because it has never been done before,” said Andy Wynne, CEO, TMC Ltd. “We took an underutilized and overabundant natural fiber and turned it into a durable yarn to meet the abrasion demands that only synthetic fibers could previously meet, all while increasing the natural performance benefits of wool.”
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