Copyright farmersweekly
Reading Time: 4 minutes The early industrialists were practical people. When the Smedley family established a knitwear factory in 1784, they were drawn to a site alongside a fast-flowing creek on which a water wheel supplied energy to the factory. Tim Clark, John Smedley Ltd’s technical director, says 241 years later, that heritage remains core to the business as the world’s oldest continuous manufacturer still operating. Today it employs 274 people across two sites with the factory still occupying the same, albeit significantly modified, buildings at Lea Mills, near Matlock in the Peak District, Derbyshire, United Kingdom. One of the original buildings was rented from the family of Florence Nightingale, who is credited with establishing nursing as a profession. The core of its knitwear business is 18.9- to 19-micron Merino wool sourced by The New Zealand Merino Company from 28 South Island properties, a contract that began in 1995-96. These properties adhere to The NZ Merino Company’s ZQRX standard, which includes meeting benchmarks that include sustainability attributes and recognising the interaction between livestock, soil, climate, ecology and community. John Smedley Ltd was established by Thomas Smedley, a lead miner who started wool combing and worsted spinning. Clark told Farmers Weekly that little more is known about Thomas Smedley, but two of his eight children, John and Isaac, grew what was a cottage industry into a business making and selling knitted hosiery, with John heading the manufacturing in Derbyshire and Isaac a wholesale business selling it in London. It was tough going, and Isaac was declared bankrupt in the early 1800s. However, John not only survived but prospered by selling land and working with new wholesalers. In 1809 he was joined in the business by his son, also named John, who took over in 1827. John Smedley II proved innovative, and began experimenting with Merino wool in 1834. The business focused in knitted woollen underwear and one of its best selling items was long-legged underpants known as long johns. Smedley worked 18 hour days and was considered a fair and considerate employer, establishing a hospital for staff. He was also an early adopter of technology such as steam power. By the early 20th century John Smedley Ltd had salesmen and agents promoting its wares throughout the UK, India and much of Asia, South Africa, and the Nordic nations. Today the eighth generation of the family is running the business and what are now its heritage brands. Manufacturing knitwear consists of 35 individual processes and John Smedley’s product list includes jumpers, cardigans, jackets, polo shirts, T-shirts, loungewear, dresses and skirts. Being a heritage brand, Clark requires adherence to the highest environmental standards, such as in the dye and chemicals used, the efficient use of energy, and environmentally sensitive raw materials including buttons. “There is a lot of work that goes into it before we make a garment,” said Clark. “We have to be seen to be doing the right thing and show we are doing the right thing.” The one product they haven’t been able to replace is the polyester thread used to connect garment panels. Reducing their environmental footprint is a priority and that is where greenhouse emissions data provided by NZ Merino’s ZQRX standard is so important. “It shows we are working in the right direction together to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Clark. “Together with NZ Merino we have a fantastic story to tell and we can build our stories into each other.” A typical John Smedley woollen garment produces 7.6kg of carbon, which is 32.5% of the company’s initial target of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2033. Before being elevated to King, the then Prince Charles and John Smedley Ltd buried a wool garment in the grounds of Clarence House, an estate owned by the royal family. Charles was and still is patron of the Campaign for Wool and the test was to promote the fact that wool is biodegradable. Clark said that after 60 days, when they went to dig up the garment, all they could find was the polyester thread. The business received a Royal Warrant from Queen Elizabeth II in 2013, an honour that has to be earned. Following her death, they applied for a new warrant from King Charles, which required answering nearly 190 questions on issues such as water and energy use, waste management and employment practices. It was received in 2023 and the company is now seeking a similar warrant from Queen Camilla, which requires answering a similar number of questions. Prince William and Princess Kate are also watching with interest a project involving John Smedley and others in the UK wool industry to educate school children on the value and attributes on the uses of wool. “We have learnt plenty. We have 241 years of history at John Smedley.” Wallace’s Meeting the Market tour has been made possible with grants from Fonterra, Silver Fern Farms, Rabobank, Zespri, Alliance Group, Meat Industry Association, Wools of NZ, Beef + Lamb NZ, NZ Merino, European Union and Gallagher.
