Wools of New Zealand recently requested its U.S. carpet manufacturer partners to donate wool waste for use in the Gulf coast oil spill clean-up efforts. At press time, J. Mish, Woolshire, Woolen Resources and Creative Accents have all shipped wool waste material to Matter of Trust (matteroftrust.org), an organization that is warehousing the fiber and making them into booms to help soak up the oil.

“Wool is a highly efficient oil adsorbent, meaning the oil clings to the many tiny scales on every strand,” said Elise Demboski, executive director of Wools of New Zealand in North America.

“We didn’t think about it twice,” added Don Karlin, J. Mish’s vp sales and marketing. “We were able to ship 3,000 pounds of wool waste to the warehouse. This is a devastating situation and we want to help any way we can.”

According to Lisa Gautier, president of Matter of Trust, the warehouses are now full and donations are being held until further notice. Wools of New Zealand partners have been put on a call list and are standing by when there is a need for more wool.