00:00The fibre being spun on these looms looks like the everyday thread that has been produced
00:07this way for centuries, but this fibre represents a breakthrough that promises to have a profound
00:13impact on the world's fibre and fabric industry.
00:16Currently, Worcester spinning equipment is about 1% of the world textile equipment, where
00:22if we look at the cotton side of things, and we include polyester cotton, probably 40%
00:28of the equipment out there is capable of spinning short staple fibre.
00:32This short fibre spinning loom is producing Equal, the official brand name of an all natural
00:37fabric comprised of 30% wool mixed with 70% cotton.
00:43The machines here at Deakin University's Future Fibres facility have played a crucial role
00:48in finding a solution to an age old challenge.
00:52How to effectively and efficiently blend cotton and wool.
00:57So just in the efficiencies of processing is where the cost of this value of this process
01:01is going to make it accessible to more people.
01:03But the real breakthrough came here at Salisbury in Adelaide's north, home to G.H.
01:08Michelle's wool processing plant, where raw wool is cleaned and made ready for spinning.
01:15So what's sitting behind us is the last wool processing factory in Australia, owned by my
01:21family.
01:22We've been doing this for 155 years.
01:25Wool now comprises less than 1% of the global textiles market.
01:30It's costly and tricky to process, from the raw product all the way to making fine fabric.
01:36It does have one big advantage over cheaper synthetics, its green credentials.
01:42But there's one major sticking point, it's costly.
01:45The trend is definitely to natural.
01:49So mixing with other natural fibres like viscose and cotton, definitely on trend and it makes
01:55some really, really fantastic fabrics.
01:57We're testing that out.
01:58We've been hunting for about 30 years how to mix wool with cotton.
02:03David Michelle is proud of the breakthrough, which came after more than 30 years of experimentation.
02:09So failure after failure after failure, and the trick is never give up.
02:13Michelle Wool is looking to get wool used more widely in everything from home insulation
02:17to puffer jackets.
02:19Globally, demand is growing for sustainable fibres and fabric, and this could be the way
02:24that wool finds its way back into favour.
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