RESPONSIBLE PRODUCTION

The appreciation of sheep wool as a genuine natural product has been increasing. The demand for yarns and products made the wool of Finnish sheep breeds, Finnsheep and Kainuu grey, is particularly growing strongly. This is due to greater appreciation of ecological values among consumers, and an increased popularity and appreciation of handicrafts as a hobby in Finland and abroad.

To meet consumer expectations and demand, Pirtin Kehräämö has carried out a three-year development project that involved investing in more efficient production and particularly ecological production.

We are the largest Finnish wool processing company with spinning mills located in Hiirola and, as of early 2021, also in Jämsä. The wool yarn sold under our Villalanka brand is spun from Finnish sheep wool that is purchased directly from sheep farms around the country.

Most of the raw wool has to be washed in England or Belgium, as a sufficiently efficient wool washing service is not available in Finland. Batches intended for sheep breeders’ own use and other special wool batches are washed in Hiirola at eco-friendly low temperatures with water heated with geothermal heat. Hydropower is used for all electricity used in Hiirola and Jämsä, and the spinning mill itself is heated up with geothermal heat. Special attention has been paid to energy efficiency in the spinning mill operations. The goal is a fully carbon-neutral production process, in which Finnish natural products are manufactured using renewable energy. Our latest upgrade was a solar power plant at our Hiirola factory site.

At the Jämsä factory, district heat produced by renewable energy is used to heat the property and water.

Eight of the wool colours are created by mixing natural wool colours and the remaining colourways are dyed by a carefully selected subcontractor in Finland. The dyes used meet the strict requirements of the EU REACH legislation. We use paper bands on our skeins, which are packed in recyclable paper bags for transport. Any waste wool generated in wool production can be reused in the production of carded yarn, which minimises the amount of wool waste.