FMG brings strong wool into its workspaces

FMG brings strong wool into its workspaces

Reading Time: 2 minutes Leading rural insurer FMG is backing New Zealand strong wool as it moves to incorporate Floc wool acoustic panels across its chain of FMG offices. For FMG, supporting NZ’s rural communities is at the heart of what it does, FMG sustainability specialist Emma Rowe said, and when it came to creating workplaces for its own people, there is a natural fit in bringing NZ wool into the spaces. Floc wool acoustic panels are being used across FMG’s offices to help create comfortable, functional working environments, while putting locally grown strong wool to work in a high-value, contemporary application.

“As a Mutual, our clients’ success is our success, that’s why we’re always looking for practical ways to support the industries that underpin rural NZ,” Rowe said. “Floc is a great example of Kiwi innovation creating new opportunities for wool, transforming a natural, renewable fibre into products that deliver both environmental and economic benefits. “We’re proud to have Floc featured in our offices and to play a part in supporting the future of NZ wool.

“We were looking for a solution that would contribute both visually and functionally to the space. “Floc added texture and a distinctive design feature while helping improve the acoustics of the largest meeting room in our Wellington office, but knowing the product is made from NZ wool took it to another level for us,” Rowe said. Floc business and development manager Tom O’Sullivan said: “This is what a high-value use for NZ strong wool looks like.” Grown and manufactured in NZ from NZ strong wool, Floc combines acoustic performance with the natural qualities of wool, transforming a fibre grown on farms across the country into a high-performance interior product.

“In busy office environments, acoustic treatment helps manage reverberation and sound, supporting more comfortable spaces for people to work and meet. “Floc provides that acoustic performance while giving designers flexibility in how the product is incorporated into an interior.” At FMG’s offices, that flexibility can be seen in custom-printed Floc panels incorporating FMG’s own values and messaging. Rather than acoustic treatment sitting separately from the design, the panels become part of the identity of the space.

O’Sullivan said the FMG projects reflect a much bigger opportunity to create more value for NZ strong wool. “Finding new, higher-value uses for the fibre is an important part of building demand, and the interiors sector presents an opportunity to use wool in environments where its natural and performance qualities make sense. “As Wool Month puts the spotlight on wool throughout October, projects like this show what’s possible when wool is considered as a modern interior material and we want to see more of it being used in high-value applications here and overseas.”