Backing New Zealand wool - Floc at FMG

For FMG, supporting New Zealand’s rural communities is at the heart of what it does. So when it came to creating workplaces for its own people, there was a natural fit in bringing New Zealand wool into the spaces too.

Across FMG offices, Floc wool acoustic panels are being used to help create comfortable, functional working environments, while putting locally grown strong wool to work in a high-value, contemporary application.

New Zealand wool, at work

Made in New Zealand from New Zealand 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.

For FMG, the connection goes deeper than material choice. Its business has long been closely connected with New Zealand’s rural sector, making wool a fitting material to incorporate into its own workplaces.

"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 New Zealand. 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 small part in supporting the future of New Zealand wool" said FMG’s Sustainability Specialist Emma Rowe.

The installations form part of FMG’s wider workplace programme, with Floc used in multiple office locations across Aotearoa.

Designed for the space

Floc’s role within the FMG workplaces isfunctional, as well as visual.

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 beseen in custom-printed Floc panels incorporating FMG’s own values andmessaging. Rather than acoustic treatment sitting separately from the design, the panels become part of the identity of the space.

"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. We were really pleased with both the aesthetic and acoustic benefits, but knowing the product is made from New Zealand wool took it to another level for us," said Emma.

The FMG projects also reflect a much bigger opportunity for New Zealand 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.

For Floc, that means taking a familiarNew Zealand material and engineering it for contemporary commercial interiors.

“FMG has such a strong connection to rural New Zealand, so seeing New Zealand wool used within their own workplaces is pretty special,” says Floc’s Business Development Manager Tom O’Sullivan.

“Strong wool is an incredible natural material, and we want to see more of it being used in high-value applications here and overseas. Projects like this show what’s possible when wool is considered as a modern interior material.”

As Wool Month puts the spotlight on wool throughout October, FMG provides a real world example of the fibre’s changing role - grown in New Zealand, manufactured here, and brought into contemporary workplaces in a completely new form.

For Floc, it’s exactly where strong woolbelongs.

For more information on Floc, visit floc.nz

To learn about FMG, head to www.fmg.co.nz

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