As global e-waste surges and synthetic materials dominate, Wooltech offers a visionary alternative for designers across multiple disciplines. This innovative project by Hinna Khan, a graduate of Central Saint Martins’ BA Product and Industrial Design program, presents a fully biodegradable electronic system made entirely from coarse-grade, waste British wool—a material typically discarded or burned due to its low commercial value. Wooltech repositions this overlooked resource as a high-performance solution for sustainable electronics.

A Natural Solution to E-Waste

The global electronics industry continues to rely on extractive, non-renewable materials such as plastics, metals, and synthetic polymers. These components not only contribute to a growing e-waste crisis but also require intensive energy and resources to produce. Wooltech challenges this status quo by replacing conventional components with wool-based alternatives. The project eliminates the need for plastic housings, metal wiring, and printed circuit board (PCB) layers, using advanced manufacturing techniques to turn wool into both structural casings and conductive pathways.

The result is a unified material system where wool fibres themselves carry the current. With a natural carbon content of 52%, wool can be processed into conductive tracings at twice the cost-efficiency of metal, without performance loss. Conductive ink made from the same wool-based material allows for soldering that dissolves in water, facilitating easy disassembly. At end-of-life, the entire product biodegrades within three to four months.

Supporting Biodiversity and Local Economies

By creating a high-value application for waste wool, Wooltech supports the preservation of rare British sheep breeds, many of which are under threat due to economic pressures that favor finer, more commercially viable wool types. This makes Wooltech not only a sustainable material innovation but also a regenerative economic model—supporting local farming communities and rural biodiversity.

Design Opportunities Across Disciplines

Wooltech’s pioneering material system is particularly relevant for product designers, industrial designers, and even packaging innovators seeking alternatives to synthetic materials. Its potential applications extend to consumer electronics, biodegradable lighting, and eco-friendly product casings. Its textural and visual qualities—natural cream tones with fine visible fibres—also make it appealing for tactile, visible design elements.

Given its biodegradability, fire retardancy, and regenerative sourcing, Wooltech is an exemplary case of circular and biobased material innovation. For forward-thinking designers, it represents a new frontier in how natural fibres can be reimagined to meet the performance demands of contemporary design while contributing to ecological resilience.

Source & photos: Central Saint Martins