Merida has a number of ties to the design and sustainability communities. One of the greatest is through the material we use in our natural area rugs. Our fiber of choice for non-vegetable fibers is wool and we specifically use Wools of New Zealand in our wool rugs.
Wools of New Zealand is a brand that stands for many of the ideals we do. We like how they present them to the public on their website:
New Zealand Wool is a sustainable natural fiber with outstanding beauty, performance, maintenance and well-being benefits. – Wools of New Zealand Website
Wools of New Zealand classifies the benefits of their wool in four areas:
Beauty
New Zealand wool’s superior quality enables extensive design, color and pattern flexibility, while wool’s natural ability to shrug off dirt and spring back into shape after crushing ensures long lasting good looks to complement and enhance any room setting.
Health
New Zealand wool is non-allergenic and its natural properties provide inherent fire resistance, air purification and moisture control, creating an exceptionally safe and healthy indoor environment.
Integrity
New Zealand wool is grown in open pastureland following sustainable land use and animal friendly practices, resulting in a carpet fiber that is natural, renewable and biodegradable.
Comfort
New Zealand wool’s natural insulating properties result from wool’s unique biological structure, reducing heat loss, condensation and noise levels to create a welcoming, relaxing and comfortable ambiance.
Another great thing about New Zealand Wool is that they are active in making sure that rug and carpet makers are selling products that meet their quality standards before allowing them to use their logo. Wools of New Zealand measures this quality with three criteria that all manufacturers must meet:
- Fiber Content Standards- 80% of the fibers comprising the rug or carpet must be wool, and 60% of the total wool must be from New Zealand.
- Must pass quality tests for performance (durability, appearance retention, color wear, etc.)
- Must meet control and licensing standards to be labeled through Wools of New Zealand.
Our use of Wools of New Zealand means that our wool area rugs will be beautiful, comfortable and socially and environmentally responsible.
Sustainable aspects of wool rugs include fibers not derived from oil, wool is rapidly renewable, and it is biodegradable. Even if left in a landfill, a wool rug will completely biodegrade over time, leaving absolutely no residues.
Wools of New Zealand also requires ethical treatment of animals. NZ sheep are free range, and usually have about 1/3 of a football field per animal, which means they are healthy, happy, and grass fed.
Another sustainable aspect of New Zealand wool is that New Zealand derives much of its energy from renewable sources, so even the electricity and power used to shear, spin, and weave the fibers is sustainable. 34% of the country’s energy comes from hydropower and 2% is wind.
By purchasing wool rugs, consumers are indirectly supporting renewable energy generation! Partnering with Wools of New Zealand is a great step for Merida, and its customers, to become as sustainable as possible.