Woolchemy: New Zealand company wins global award for eco-friendly hygiene breakthrough

Woolchemy is transforming strong wool into biodegradable materials that replace fossil-derived plastics.

A Kiwi mother and daughter are making waves on the world stage with a revolutionary use for sheep wool — and it’s not in clothing.

Woolchemy, a materials innovation company based in Wellington, has won the Idea Raw Material Achievement Award from Inda, the global association for nonwovens and engineered fabrics.

The award recognises the company’s development of neweFibre, the world‘s first hygiene-grade wool.

Founded by Derelee Potroz-Smith and her mother, Angela Potroz, Woolchemy is tackling one of the world‘s most waste-heavy industries — disposable hygiene — with a biodegradable, skin-friendly alternative to plastic.

Chief executive Potroz Smith said it was an honour to receive the recognition.

She said neweFibre was “a testament to what’s possible when we align innovation with nature”.

From paddock to product

neweFibre provides the core material for neweFlex, which will form the basis of all future Woolchemy innovations for hygiene products.

neweFlex, is used in products such as nappies, feminine hygiene, and incontinence care.

Each nappy contains about 1g of strong wool, combined with plant-based fibres.

The material is certified 100% biobased (by Beta Analytic) and designed to mirror the structure of human skin, thanks to wool’s natural keratin proteins.

The wool is ethically sourced from New Zealand farms known for high environmental standards and quality, including regenerative grazing practices and low-input systems that help preserve soil health and biodiversity.

A global problem, a local solution

According to Woolchemy, an estimated 2 billion hygiene products are used and discarded every day, 93% of them made from petroleum-based plastics.

The company said its innovation offered a renewable, high-performance alternative that broke down naturally and was gentler on skin.

Woolchemy’s work is already attracting international attention.

neweFlex is patent-granted in two jurisdictions and pending in 14 more.

Building a circular future

Woolchemy co-founder Derelee Potroz-Smith.

Woolchemy said it aimed to enable circular design in one of the world‘s most waste-intensive industries by transforming strong wool - a renewable and often undervalued fibre - into biodegradable materials that replace fossil-derived plastics.

Circular design is about creating products that are made to be reused, recycled, or returned safely to nature, not thrown away.

In 2019, Woolchemy’s founding team was joined by Alana Cheape, a personal hygiene industry expert with 12 years of experience, to help guide the company’s commercial and technical strategy.

“Our technology offers a rare combination of high performance, environmental responsibility, and skin health benefits,” Potroz-Smith said.

“We’re proud to be working with global partners who are serious about bringing next-generation consumer products to market.”