Torpedo7 has created the world’s first kayak made from wool, replacing those that are made up of two kilograms of plastic – or 400 plastic bags.
Teaming up with Shear Edge, an innovative New Zealand-based brand that works to create natural renewable materials for products, Torpedo7 have created the Kakapo Woollen Single Kayak, made up of 35 percent of wool fibres and polyethylene.
CEO of Torpedo7 Simon West says the move to create the kayak comes during their journey to “introduce more sustainable features to products, so we can offer Kiwis the best adventure gear that is also kinder to the environment it is used in”.
West says the collaboration came after spotting Shear Edge co-founder, Logan Williams showcasing the woollen composite boat using the company’s Keravos Technology.
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“Through this technology we could use wool – a natural, renewable material made in New Zealand,” he adds.
Developing the kayak with Shear Edge took 10 months from the concept to the finished product and marks the beginning of future collaborations between the two.
Thomas Nye, head of marketing and operations at Shear Edge, says that working with Torpedo7 “is the key to pushing meaningful change”.
“Our relationship with Torpedo7 is a fantastic opportunity to be part of their sustainability journey and ‘wow’ consumers with some pretty radical ingenuity,” Nye adds.
The creation of the kayak comes after Torpedo7 began looking for more sustainable options to incorporate into their products.
A subsidiary of The Warehouse Group, the company says it aims to become the country’s most sustainable, having gone carbon zero in 2019.
“We’re working towards having 50 percent of our own Torpedo7 branded products with more sustainable attributes by 2025, in the production process of the materials used,” says West.
He adds that the company is already on track to meet this goal, with their apparel side leading the way.
“We’re working to continuously improve our own and also customer awareness of environmental impacts and what we can do to reduce these.”
To promote sustainability, Torpedo7 have introduced a circular take back system where at the end of the lifespan of the kayak, customers can return it which will then be passed on to Shear Edge who will recycle it into a new wool composite product.
“We’re committed to bringing Kiwis the best adventure gear for New Zealand’s unique climate.”
