Sea Forest

May 10, 2022

Share Australian menswear brand M.J. Bale is aiming to produce possibly the world’s first net zero-emission woollen knitwear, while also helping to kickstart local wool processing and manufacturing. The journey begins at the carbon positive-accredited Tasmanian wool growing farm Kingston, where the sheep’ are fed a diet supplemented that includes eco-friendly seaweed called asparagopsis, produced by Sea Forest. Melanie Kate In 2021, the farm produced 105 kilograms of carbon-neutral wool from 48 of its sheep in the Sea Forest trial. About 35 kilos is being transported on May 10 about 200 kilometres to Hobart by bicycle, piloted by sailor/adventurer Grant Maddock, AKA Two Dogs. Two Dogs will embark on up to a five-day sail on his 31-foot engine-less boat, Ratu, leaving Bass Strait on May 12 taking the wool to the 102-year-old Riversdale Mill in Geelong, Victoria. Advertisement The merino wool will then be processed into top, spun and hand-knitted by 92-year-old Margaret Broadbent into prototype knits - which could take up to four months. There will be about 10 to 20 jumpers made from the fine-gauge wool. M.J. Bale founder and chief executive Matt Jensen said it feels like a cottage industry, with limited scalability given the cost of asparagopsis, but business must do more to address climate issues. “We must challenge ourselves. I’ve got four children .... and it’s important for us to try and leave the earth in a better place than we inherited it,” Mr Jensen said after stopping his bike en route on the first 20 kilometres from the farm. “Business can lead the charge into these more sustainable ventures. We’re so blessed with all these natural resources, sun, wave, agricultural, and if we overlay creativity and technology, we’ve got an opportunity to try and do things in a better way that is what is more sustainable for the future.” Two Dogs said he has dedicated his life to identifying solutions to environmental problems and has followed M.J. Bale with interest since it is at the forefront of the fashion industry in combating climate change. “Partnerships with industry are key to us healing the environment, and I am proud to be part of the solution being put forward by M.J. Bale, Sea Forest and Kingston,” he said. Advertisement