Australian tailored clothing company M.J. Bale has entered a partnership to support regenerative agriculture and biodiversity preservation, and ensure the firm is giving back to the earth.
The brand has joined forces with venerable Tasmanian Merino wool-growing farm Kingston as part of a five-year agreement. Under the deal, Kingston will exclusively supply superfine 16-micron Merino wool for the brand’s single-source suits, blazers and ties.
M.J. Bale and Kingston owner Simon Cameron have also committed to a series of initiatives, including the reduction of livestock methane emissions, regenerative agriculture practices and biodiversity preservation.
“As a brand built on the highest quality Australian natural fibers, we remain passionately committed to the sustainability and regeneration of the environment,” M.J. Bale founder and CEO Matt Jensen said. “We are driven to make this investment in Kingston with owner Simon Cameron, one of the most progressive and ethical wool producers in the world, not just because it’s the right thing for M.J. Bale, but for the health of our natural environment.”
The commitment to Kingston not only allows M.J. Bale direct access to elite superfine Merino wool, Jensen said, “but Kingston effectively becomes a laboratory partner for regenerative agriculture programs we’re trialing, such as the pursuit of carbon neutral wool.”
The carbon-neutral wool project will begin with a year-long scientific trial at Kingston farm starting in February. According to the Woolmark Co., many textiles and fibers are made from carbon-based products, but only some, such as wool, are made from atmospheric carbon. Wool is also naturally biodegradable and when disposed of, wool acts like a fertilizer by slowly releasing valuable nutrients and carbon back into the soil.
By comparison, Woolmark said, carbon in the major synthetic apparel fibers, such as polyester or acrylic, is extracted from fossil fuels, de-sequestering carbon stored millions of years ago.
“This partnership means I can continue our environmental and biodiversity conservation work, such as protecting the precious grasslands and other natural values we have,” Cameron said. “It means a lot to the future of Kingston and to the future of biodiversity in Tasmania.”