The Wool Loop

At Holtsäckra Gård in Vårgårda, Therese Franzén wants to create a new circular model for Swedish wool. Today, large amounts of waste wool are thrown away or burned because there is a lack of functioning systems to take care of it. Through the project The Wool Loop Wool, which was previously a waste product, will instead be turned into climate-smart garden fertilizer and material for social and creative activities.

The project is building a local collection system where sheep farmers in Sjuhärad can leave their waste wool through a coordinated collection directly from the farms. The wool is marked with QR codes for traceability and transported to the farm where it is sanitized and processed into wool pellets. The pellets are then used as natural plant nutrition and soil improvement in test farms and greenhouses. The goal is to show how wool can replace imported artificial fertilizers and at the same time contribute to better water retention in the soil and increased resistance to drought.

The project also includes a social and creative part where the finest wool is washed and used in workshops and studio activities. Here, the project wants to investigate how wool's tactile and calming properties can contribute to well-being and peace of mind for people with, for example, NPF diagnoses or fatigue syndrome. The work is done together with participants and interest organizations to develop new methods and areas of use for wool within so-called neurodesign.

During the project period, test farms, laboratory analyses and workshops will be carried out to evaluate both the fertilizer effect and the social uses of wool. The results will then be disseminated through open activities, information materials and a joint harvest festival where participants, sheep farmers and partners meet.