De Zachte Stad

Not a worthless pile of residues, but a treasury full of surprises.

Rotterdam sheep have been keeping the grass short for years. They produce around 5,000 kilos of wool per year. That wool was virtually worthless until recently and we didn't do much with it either. Such a shame! Especially during these current times of raw material scarcity. Plus the city has some ambitious climate, energy and circular challenges. Rotterdam is looking to put all of its waste to good use, including sheep's wool. Designer Christien Meindertsma conducted research into the quality of Rotterdam wool with unrivalled enthusiasm and designed applications suitable for both for now and in the future. She exceeded all expectations: what seemed like a worthless pile of residues proved to be a treasury full of surprises. And not just for a warm sweater or winter hat. Especially for the interior, construction and even the music industry. Christien’s research results allowed her to open doors to innovative techniques and applications which had previously seemed impossible. She has given wool back its soul.

Wool’s versatility has proven to be quite staggering.

Christien: “Some steps in the process were moving to witness. Precisely because it had initially seemed like such a hopeless pile of material. That huge contrast is truly fantastic’. Taking ownership of this huge pile of wool and experimenting with it was quite a gamble. But I had a good feeling about the whole thing. And I love rising to a challenge. The task was clear. That's why I dared to take it on. It’s been almost 2 years now. The wool’s versatility really is quite staggering’. ‘I’m pleasantly surprised with the variety of outcomes. And with the new production technology we’re developing. And the road which led us to this point too. I work with some special people who have formed a new chain. We’re learning a great deal together. Coming up with a process like that and then truly pioneering and discovering is the absolute best thing’. Christien has been working with wool since graduating in 2003. ‘I’m grateful I’ve been able to fuse all the experiences I’ve gained since then. And then we discover so many unexpected possibilities. Times are changing and there now seems to be extensive support for turning this (and other Dutch and European wool) into something beautiful'

The research resulted in much more than expected.

Carolien: "Easy peasy, was my initial thought’. The reality turned out to be a bit more problematic. Lots of links needed for large-scale and high quality processing of wool, which will also earn you a living, are missing in the Netherlands. We started at the beginning with Christien: what’s the quality of our wool? That’s the key issue where circularity is concerned, as it’s important to make long and high quality use of materials'. ‘The research resulted in much more than expected. Christien has been fascinated with wool for years. And has a large network too. So? Apparently our wool can effectively be processed into high quality products, providing it’s in the hands of the right people. But the search didn't end there. There’s clearly a reason why we’re not processing the wool into these products. We don’t have access to the knowledge, facilities and revenue model’. ‘Christien's new technique offers major opportunities. Not only for some great high quality applications for the wool, but also to prevent the use of, for example, foam rubber. How fantastic would it be if this innovation would help us to process local wool in Rotterdam and avoid the use of fossil raw materials'.