The Woolmark Company has struck a deal with Nissan to become the official technical partner of the Nissan Formula E team, bringing Merino wool to racers’ kits.
The partnership comes before the start of the ninth series of The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars.
Woolmark’s technical team have worked in collaboration with Nissan to design the new kit, which features Merino wool across t-shirts, polo shirts, shirts, trousers, shorts, mid-layers, softshell jackets, and caps. Woolmark said Merino wool provides benefits such as moisture management, thermoregulation and breathability properties.
Made in Europe, the team kit is Merino Perform certified, providing longevity and durability of the products.
The Merino wool team kit will be visible during the whole of Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, from December 2022 to July 2023. The Woolmark Company will be present in the E-village of the 12 different cities, while Nissan’s racing cars will feature The Woolmark Company logo.
Nissan Formula E Team MD Tommaso Volpe said The Woolmark Company shares ambitions in building a sustainable future through technology and innovation.
“Our partnership with The Woolmark Company will provide Nissan Formula E Team with a high-performance kit made with natural and biodegradable Merino wool fibre,” Volpe said. “This proves once more that, like in Formula E, high performance and sustainability can go hand in hand.
“Partnering with The Woolmark Company was a natural but conscious decision for us, as we continue to look for more sustainable solutions in line with Nissan’s commitment to achieve carbon neutrality across all operations and the life cycle of our products by 2050.”
The Woolmark Company MD John Roberts said it was vital to find a partner that held the same sustainability vision as it takes its first step into the world of motorsport.
“The Nissan Formula E Team has the ambition to do things differently, and they are redefining the way we wear wool by bringing the fibre’s innate performance to the motorsport industry,” Roberts said. “Our technical team worked hand-inhand to craft a performance-oriented team kit, driving unexpected product offerings thanks to the inherent technical and eco-credentials of the fibre.
“The innovative nature of Merino wool is paralleled to the technology behind Formula E thanks to manufacturing techniques and engineering between our teams."