zuben

Sustainability

To sustain means to maintain, or to keep a person, community, our planet from failing.

Therefore sustainability must have at its core the concept of supporting life on this planet.

At a minimum, we must not endanger the natural system that supports life on Earth, whilst also supporting the basic human needs of all people.

For Zuben this means human needs are balanced with living within the limits of the Earth’s physical boundaries. The ambition of human sustainability on a planet that can support all life has guided our mission.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

the stuff of wool

Wool is a miracle product developed over millions of years in natures own R&D department.

Sheep have been domesticated for over 10,000 years and can be found in the deserts of Arabia to the wild highlands of Scotland.

This adaptability to climate and terrain has given them their incredible fleece

Wool is natural, renewable & sustainable
Wool is a store of carbon
Wool is safe to touch and requires no special clothing or protection to fit.
Wool causes no irritation to skin or eyes and presents no health risks.
Wool does not light and will extinguish itself in the event of a fire.
Wool is breathable, meaning it can absorb and release moisture.

Properties Of Wool

outstanding insulation, incredible air quality & moisture management are just some of the amazing qualities

Outstanding Insulation

100% SheepsWool is a best in class insulation product achieving a Thermal Conductivity rating of up to 0.0359 W/m2K, that offers a unique combination of benefits like no other insulation material.

Humidity Control

Sheep’s wool can absorb up to 33% of its own weight in moisture, without compromising it’s insulation effectiveness. When the moisture level in a room rises it absorbs water, only to release it again when the humidity levels drop, so it’s constantly and instinctively regulating humidity levels and reducing condensation.

Optimum Air Quality

Optimum Air Quality - Sheep’s wool is able to purify the air in a room. It does this in a very short space of time, removing odours and harmful substances, such a VOC’s and formaldehyde.

Sound Absorption

The sheep's wool fibers have a visco elastic property that helps to turn sound energy into heat while at the same time reducing surface and airborne noise.

Fire Resistant

100% SheepsWool insulation has outstanding fire protection qualities. It does not burn easily and its fumes are non hazardous. It conforms to EU fire regulation Class E EN-13501-1.

Pest Protection

100% SheepsWool is treated with a patent protected IonicTM process that has been tested by and proven to be insect and vermin resistant to ISO3998:1977. The Ionic is a natural process that adds nothing to the 100% wool product.

Scroll left to see all the data

		Wool	Fibreglass	Cellulose	Cotton	Mineral Wool	PIC/Foam
Air Filtration	Absorbs VOC’s	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
	Absorbs formaldehyde	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
	Absorbs S02	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
	Absorbs N0X	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
	Hypo-allergenic	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
	No emissions or harmful chemicals	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
	Carbon sink	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Moisture	Manages moisture	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
	Maintains R-values when wet	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
	Does not support growth of mould	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
	Minimizes condensation	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
	Releases heat when it absorbs moisture	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Sound Management	90% noise reduction coefficient	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No
	Reduces airborn surface & and sound transmission	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
	Converts sound energy into heat	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Performance	R value >4.0	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes
	Self extinguishing	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No
	Maintains R-value	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Installation	No need for protective clothing	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
	Beautiful to work with	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Recycling	Fully compostable	Yes	No	No	No	No	No

The fleece keep them warm and dry in cold wet winters and cool in dry hot summers. This is achieved by the thickly woven strands of wool creating millions of air pockets that insulate the sheep.
The fibres of the wool are extraordinary in they can absorb and release moisture from the atmosphere without compromising it’s thermal performance. The cortex of wool fibres can absorb more than one third of its weight without feeling damp.

In addition as the fibres absorb moisture, they create small amounts of heat, which prevents condensation in the air pockets by maintaining a temperature above the dew-point. The practical outcome of these energy transfers is that wool helps to keep buildings cool during the day and warmer over night.

If that is not enough wool also helps clean the air.