Funds left over from wool levies collected by Meat & Wool New Zealand – now Beef + Lamb New Zealand - have supported the development of a new fabric that blends waste rice straw and New Zealand strong wool.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand Chief Operating Officer, Cros Spooner welcomed the innovation from Wellington company The Formary - the same company that transformed Starbucks coffee sacks into upholstery fabric for the coffee chain's furniture.

"The Formary and Managing Director Bernadette Casey have made some valuable contacts in China which produces about two hundred million tonnes of rice a year. This makes vast amounts of waste rice straw and this latest innovation uses the waste rice straw and blends it with 29 micron wool to make upholstery weight fabric.

"Beef + Lamb New Zealand is delighted the company has found some new uses for New Zealand strong wool and is pleased to support the development of the fabric.

"The blend of wool and rice straw creates a hard-wearing fabric and provides a useful solution for the waste straw which would usually be burnt, affecting the air quality in China. This is great from a sustainability perspective too."

Mr Spooner said this sort of innovation created opportunities for New Zealand strong wool and ultimately benefited sheep farmers.

This project was one of seven entrepreneurial wool projects to be awarded a share of half a million dollars in remaining wool levies to boost the wool industry and benefit farmers.