Harrows were delighted to host All Heart NZ and Wisewool at our recent Sustainability Soiree. Here's our debrief from the guest speakers.
29 Jun 2023
Sustainability Soiree with All Heart NZ and Wisewool
All Heart NZ – Joe Yousef.
All Heart NZ partners with corporates to practically REDIRECT & REPURPOSE their redundant and unwanted items. Their RETHINK partnerships help to further develop the sustainable, ethical and social aspects of procurement and supply chain management.
Joe passionately shared his All Heart NZ story “In 2015 whilst walking out of a friend’s accounting business, I noticed one of his offices stacked high with computers, desks, chairs and other unwanted goods. That struck a chord with me; how many times during my corporate career did I see similar goods simply thrown away? How many times did I leave an unwanted phone, laptop or tablet lying in a drawer? Thanks to my years of social sector experience, I saw those redundant goods through fresh eyes; they were no longer a waste of space, rather a pathway to bringing about social and environmental change. All Heart NZ has developed over time to include our Repurpose and Reduce partnerships. As you learn more about our heart, I hope you will be encouraged.”
To date All Heart NZ has collected 5,029,318kgs of corporate items, with 93% of this figure diverted from landfill, supporting over 460 communities. They achieve a circular economy solution for unwanted corporate furniture and equipment.
Get in touch with Joe if you’ve got a project on the go where you think All Heart NZ might be able to get involved – from uniforms to kitchen joinery – they redirect or repurpose it and work all over New Zealand.
Wisewool – Harr Urquhart-Hay
Harry shared his compelling story driven by a desire to bring the wool industry back to its best. Wool has long been a cornerstone of Aotearoa’s industry and identity. With five generations of wool handling in their family, they felt a responsibility to their whenua and community in Tairāwhiti Gisborne. So we created a super wool — a Wisewool.
A revolutionary material engineered by intertwining wool fibres into tiny spring-like buds that enhance its inherent bounce and resilience while retaining wool’s incomparable natural attributes.
Harry brought samples of the needle punched blanketing that is designed and manufactured in their Te Poi factory. Formed by mechanically interlocking wool fibres into a dense, durable ingredient material, the warm, soft and breathable blanketing serves a variety of uses. From bedding to mattresses, furniture, duvets and furniture upholstery, the tear-resistant material also has a natural resistance to moisture and fire.
We discussed its application in furniture upholstery, with a protype of the Revive Armchair on display with a full wool inner, tetron and outer. While the product is still in development, synthetic wadding or batting can now be swapped out for Wisewool’s natural product at the request of the designer.
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