Heritage Collection Recycled Wool Tartan Blankets — FAQs
Whenever I do a market or event I have the opportunity to greet customers face-to-face and chat all things recycled wool tartan blankets! Whenever I do, I get asked all about recycled wool, Scottish clans and the best way to wash the tartan travel rugs. So, here are some of the frequently asked questions and discussion topics from those catch-ups... 😊
Skip to the question you're interested in:
1. Where are your Recycled Wool Tartan Blankets from?
2. What's meant by recycled wool?
3. What's so great about recycled wool?
4. How big are the wool tartan blankets?
5. What Scottish clan tartan names do you stock in your tartan blanket range?
6. How do I care for my recycled wool travel rug?
1. Where are your Recycled Wool Tartan Blankets from?
Our recycled wool tartan blankets are ethically woven in India.
We originally sourced our blankets from Edinburgh in Scotland, after a visit to the Royal Mile in Edinburgh in 2009, saw me inspired to begin importing them to Australia, to share with you all. I was enamoured with the romantic connection between the Scottish Grampian mountains, and our own, cherished Australian Grampians (Gariwerd).
However, after a period of importing these blankets, and after a few hiccups along the way due to COVID, I learnt that the blankets were in fact being woven in India, sent to Scotland, and then making their way back to us.
It was then that I decided to go straight to the source, and import our blankets directly from India. Aside from the reasons I have mentioned, there were a few other key decision-making factors:
#1—OUR ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT
Plain and simple—cutting out the middle man meant less shipping, which meant less carbon miles and less environmental impact overall.
#2—MAXIMISING THE ECONOMIC BENEFIT FOR THE FEMALE WORKERS IN INDIA
As a woman singlehandedly supporting my own family through running my business, it was important to me that as much profit as possible was going to the women weaving our blankets in India, and their families.
I know that for me personally, being in business has contributed greatly to my feelings of safety and security. I wanted to do everything that I could, to contribute to the safety and security of the female weavers in India.
#3—USING BUSINESS AS A CHANGE FOR GOOD IS IMPORTANT TO GGCO.
Embedded into my business model, is the ability to support social and environmental initiatives, and so supporting women in India directly, just felt ‘right’ to me. We’re proudly an i=Change brand, meaning that GGCo. gives back $1 from every single sale that’s made on our site (and more if customers choose to give an optional donation), to one of three causes that we’ve chosen; ending violence against women (UN Women), as well as restoring the Great Barrier Reef and restoring the land (Greening Australia).
#4—SUPPORTING WOMEN IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SITUATIONS IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO YOU, MY CUSTOMERS
My customers are my whole business—YOU keep this business running, and I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with strong, powerful women, but who have been affected by domestic violence. With 95% of my sales coming from women, I knew that to stick to my values, I needed to ensure I was supporting all the women at all stages of the supply chain and buyer cycle.
2. What's meant by recycled wool?
Basically, 'recycled wool' means that once upon a time your recycled wool tartan travel rug might've been an old wool jumper or a pair of wool socks!
Old garments, blankets, and offcuts from the mill are gathered, sorted into complementary colour groups and then put through a process where they are shredded, spun and amalgamated into new yarn and from there, woven into new recycled products.
Recycled wool is a sustainable and eco-friendly solution but the diverse components can mean variations in colour shade and tones from time to time, however they are all beautiful.
The final result? The Heritage Collection Tartan Wool Blankets.
3. What's so great about recycled wool?
Instead of using new, virgin Merino wool fibres to make tartan travel rugs, recycled wool gives a new life and purpose to an existing product that has been cast aside.
Recycled and repurposed products are more sustainable and eco-friendly making them better for the planet as there is less waste.
As part of The Grampians Goods Co. vision for the future to offer more eco-friendly products, we are aiming to do our bit to live and breathe a better solution in everything we do. Learn more about our recycled products and sustainability ethos.
Recycled wool is also less precious than new wool having been through such a rigorous process and so lends itself to more robust activities like outdoor adventures, picnics, footy games & road trips - but that doesn't mean your recycled wool tartan wool travel rug is rough or scratchy!
This perfect all-weather travel accessory is wonderfully soft as well as extremely versatile, and works just as well on the couch for the cosiest Netflix-and-chill sessions as it does travelling the countryside, without a doubt.
4. How big are the wool tartan blankets?
The wool tartan blankets are 175cm x 157cm. Bigger than a throw rug, they're more like a large tartan picnic blanket, as you can see from photo of Sarah Glover on our Forest tartan blanket.
So while they are a perfect picnic blanket size (although you might need two for larger gatherings!), they don't take up the whole boot space when rolled up!
Our All-Weather Adventure Blankets are a perfect option, as they are lined with waterproof oilskin, so there’ll be no more soggy bottoms on those dewy morning picnics!
5. What Scottish clan tartan names do you stock in your tartan blanket range?
If you want to get technical about Scottish clans and their tartans or are simply looking for a meaningful gift for someone with Scottish heritage - here you go!
We have Royal Stewart, Stewart Muted, Jacob, Buchanan Antique, Buchanan Natural, Bannockbane Silver, Black Watch, Wallace, Thompson Camel and Mackellar Natural.
6. How do I care for my recycled wool travel rug?
Dry clean is the recommended way to clean your recycled wool blanket to keep it in it's best possible condition BUT I'm going to tell the truth: I put mine in a front loader on a 30 degree wool cycle with a gentle wool wash, then when it's done, I drape it over a few chairs in the kitchen overnight to dry and it's still in great nick years later. Try this at your own risk!
Keep them rolled up in a Handcrafted Leather Carrier and hang them in pride of place, they look gorgeous even as part of the home decor!
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