Starbucks combo

Wellington-based design company The Formary, have developed a new sustainable textile called “WoJo” which will be used by coffee chain Starbucks for chairs in their stores and unveiled as part of UK Wool Week at Starbucks flagship Conduit Street store in London’s West End. In collaboration with UK weavers Camira and wool suppliers, Wools of New Zealand, The Formary used Starbucks jute coffee sacks and wool to create the product. Additionally, the organisers of UK Wool Week — The Campaign for Wool, convened by HRH The Prince of Wales, and The Society of British Interior Design (SBID) — have recognised The Formary and Starbucks with an award for Sustainable Product Innovation. The key challenge to overcome in upcycling used coffee sacks was to prevent the shedding of fibres from the jute. The solution came to director of The Formary Bernadette Casey while walking through the snow in Central Park after attending a felt exhibition in New York. “It occurred to me that the perfect way to reduce the jute shedding was to blend it with wool,” Casey said.