Rubisco: building a regenerative future with hemp and wool

Natural fibres are the future, according to Christchurch-based business Rubisco

From the outside, Rubisco's headquarters look like just another site on the edge of a suburban business park. Step inside, though, and you'll find the Southern Hemisphere's last and largest wool-spinning operation, now transformed into a cutting-edge hub of regenerative material science, with a bold mission to revive the global materials economy.

How do they plan to do this? By building a regenerative materials platform that blends two remarkable fibres – hemp and wool.

How has Rubisco evolved to meet changing markets?

Rubisco's roots with textiles run deep. "From Christchurch Yarns to NZ Yarns to NZ Natural Fibres, and now as Rubisco, we've stood through market cycles and structural change to remain the last independent wool-spinning operation in the Southern Hemisphere," says CEO Guy Wills.

They are also New Zealand's only vertically integrated hemp fibre company, with complete control from field to finished product. "This gives us the precision to scale responsibly and the agility to build regenerative infrastructure that's globally relevant."

Guy says Rubisco has undertaken significant research and development into the natural raw materials they use.

What is 'Natural Intelligence'?

"Rubisco's material platform is designed at the intersection of performance, longevity and ecological balance. It combines agriculture, advanced material science, innovation, and design in what they call 'Natural Intelligence' – the belief that solutions to complex challenges are already embedded in nature's logic."

By studying natural systems, Rubisco translates them into functional, adaptive materials that stand the test of time.

How do Rubisco's products fit into a circular economy?

Guided by their Living Design Systems framework, Guy says each product plays its part in a greater cycle: supporting soil health, drawing down carbon, enhancing life during use, and returning safely to nature.

Why is Christchurch the ideal base for innovation?

Guy says that Canterbury is a key to this collaboration. "We see Christchurch as a blueprint for how local and global can work in unison. It allows us to design in harmony with our environment while scaling solutions that have universal relevance."

Rubisco's products span precision-engineered Merino and wool-hemp yarns for luxury textiles, carbon-locking hemp hurd building blocks, lightweight biocomposites replacing fibreglass, high-absorption hemp animal bedding, Futurfibre geotextile weed matting for erosion control, and Embrace wool acoustic panels (made in collaboration with Autex) – all designed to combine performance, sustainability, and design versatility across industries from construction to interiors.

What's driving Rubisco's mission?

For Guy, the company's mission and leading Rubisco are deeply personal.

"I became a father later in life – to twins who are now three and a half – and I found myself asking not just what kind of future we're leaving, but what kind of systems we're building today to make that future liveable and inspiring."

What's next for Rubisco?

Rubisco is investing in the future. "We are preparing a $20–30 million build for a purpose-designed hemp processing facility in Ashburton, featuring imported decortication technology, expanded R&D capability, and scaled production to meet global demand."