The Blue Lab | Textile Solutions

Welcome to
The Blue Lab. Experiments. Next up. Realisation. Commodity. Bitter end. Hustle. Certainty.

Do you feel the crisis forming around climate change? Are you questioning the accuracy of the information, data and perspective marketed? Are you left asking what can be done to increase action to improve our situation?

The Blue Lab is a New Zealand based Best for Planet Investigation Service.

We investigate the intersection of these problems by building awareness and accountability in the textile and material industry. We are working towards a sustainable future through science and culture to create innovative solutions that drive action.

The Blue Lab is a New Zealand based Best for Planet Investigation Service.

We work with industry to create clarity through science-based data, supporting commercial sustainability on a global scale.

We are creating more accurate real-world methods that provide a more useful view of what materials are actually doing in the environment.

Are you working towards a sustainable future?

We are an investigative service that partners with industry leaders to do what is best for the planet.

We do this through comprehensive deep dives into Circularity, Bio Digestion and Best For Planet practices.

We develop and implement custom methods, projects and science-based tests that provide clarity for sustainability efforts within the industry.

Testing for real outcomes in the real world.

How we help you:

Discuss:

We do not start our process without first understanding what needs to be achieved.

Plan:

Test for the best business outcomes for you. consider commercial needs and timeframes. Our facility is purpose built for large batch testing further providing agile results.

Action:

We provide meaningful test results, going beyond data to give clarity and direction to your work.

Results:

Results that are scientific and relevant to real-world issues.

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Testing you can believe in is testing you can action.

Services.

As a small and specialist. sustainability-based investigative service, we offer tailored, personalised solutions to your R&D and innovation needs.

We are committed to collaborative pathways that add value to the textile industry in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and the world.

Consultancy

Engage with CAE Sustainable Innovations’ expertise to deliver short-term consultancy projects, read the landscape, and establish if there is more to do.

Collaborative Think Tank

Putting a think tank together is a great way to spearhead content and address your most significant concerns.

The Blue Lab can work with you to form the best team for your project. We draw on our expansive global network, allowing us to deliver increased awareness with innovative solutions.

Contract Investigation

Work with The Blue Lab to research and co-design new solutions to support the future of your organisation and help you understand your sustainability inequity.

We can also assist in understanding the research knowledge landscape – we connect scientific research and real-world situations; we create data, help you know it, bring meaning and take action.

Testing and Reporting

Our research engagements are driven by the input of substantiated test data, particularly concerning R&D, innovation and materials. As a result, we build a clearer baseline understanding of any material or product and create a critical pipeline of future capability for the textile and apparel industry.

Are you a testing lab?

Yes, we do testing – we are more than a regular testing lab.

We put together a strategy and use global test methods while also adapting some tests to get more precise answers for real-world situations, mainly for apparel and textiles industries. We do R&D testing.

Do you only focus on biodegradation?

We focus on getting the answers that are of interest to you.

There is a a lot of misinformation or miss use of the term “Bio Degradation”, so we use this testing as a baseline for evaluation.

What do you mean by Best for Planet Principles?

The focus gets lost among all the well-meaning terminology that surrounds sustainability. To keep us focused, we relate back to what’s best for the planet. Doing this helps to keep us on track and the goals clear. We utilise one source of truth.

What if I have a lot of materials to test?

That’s perfect for us. We have a purpose-built agile testing environment to handle large batch testing. This capacity helps us get to the best solution faster.

Are you accredited?

We follow best practices for accreditation and will move to full accreditation over time.

Do you provide a certificate?

We are not a certifying body. We provide valuable, repeatable data and analysis, relevant to the issues you are working on.

Common Questions.

About us.

CAE SI + The Blue Lab

CAESI. CAE Sustainable Innovation A consultancy born out of projects and research requested by brands and innovators that move the world forward. Based in Christchurch New Zealand, Located at sea level on the shores of the South Pacific and 3 hours drive from mountain peaks and glacial fed rivers. Run by Colleen Ahalt-Eagle, a woman with a multifaceted career and skillset. Colleen has held positions in leadership at global brands and retailers.

Her focus in those roles has been the business of material and colour innovation. She utilises all 20+ years of experience implementing and collaborating with key international technology providers in material and colour management to #MakeItHappen. The Blue Lab is proving to be an exciting and needed next step for the Textile Industry to move the needle in biodegradable textile clarity, a true Centre of Excellence for the Textile Industry taking steps to define Best for Planet Principles.