VE Geo-Loc™ Made by Rubisco launches in Australia with Vital Chemical as exclusive distributor
Rubisco has launched VE Geo-Loc™ Made by Rubisco into the Australian market through an exclusive distribution partnership with Vital Chemical. The range brings New Zealand grown and manufactured natural fibre geotextiles to Australian civil construction, infrastructure, landscaping and land rehabilitation projects, with Vital Chemical responsible for sales, technical support and supply across the country.
VE Geo-Loc™ is a needle-punched, nonwoven, geotextile produced from New Zealand industrial hemp and strong wool. The product contains no plastics, synthetic polymers, glues or chemical binders and is engineered to provide mechanical stabilisation and soil conditioning, through full biodegradation, in a single material.
The range is built around the complementary performance of two fibres. Hemp provides the structural backbone of the geotextile. The bast fibre is around 70 percent cellulose, giving high tensile strength, dimensional stability, and natural resistance to UV breakdown and mould. Strong wool contributes moisture management, thermal buffering and biological function. Wool absorbs up to 30 percent of its weight in moisture without feeling wet, moderates soil temperature, and releases nitrogen, potassium and sulphur into the surrounding soil as it biodegrades. The result is a material that protects the ground during the establishment phase and then feeds it as vegetation takes over.
VE Geo-Loc™ is available in two compositions. The 100% wool geotextile is suited to horticulture, amenity planting and garden bed establishment, where moisture retention, soil conditioning and nutrient return are the priorities. The hemp and wool blend is engineered for civil construction, infrastructure slope work and revegetation projects that require additional tensile strength, erosion control performance and longer service life. Both formats are available as 2 metre by 30 metre rolls, with 400 millimetre by 400 millimetre tile pads also produced for targeted planting and amenity applications.
The range is specified by GSM. The 300 to 500 GSM range delivers a 12 to 18 month service life for lighter landscape and amenity work. The 500 to 900 GSM range delivers 18 to 24 months for revegetation support and moderate slope erosion control. The 900 to 1,200 GSM range delivers 24 to 30 months for riparian zones, high flow environments, steep slopes and infrastructure works, where extended performance is required before vegetation fully takes over the stabilisation function.
VE Geo-Loc™ is the only EPD certified natural fibre geotextile available in Australia. The Global GreenTag Environmental Product Declaration is compliant to ISO 14025 and EN 15804, providing independently verified lifecycle data for specifiers, procurement teams and asset owners working with sustainability rating tools. The EPD confirms a carbon negative result at the production stage, driven by atmospheric carbon sequestered during hemp cultivation and carried through into the finished product. The assessed wool and hemp geotextile contains no plastics, glues or formaldehydes, and demonstrates measured water permeability suited to exposed site conditions.
The product supports a broad range of civil and environmental applications. These include slope stabilisation, embankment works, riparian margins, restoration planting, council land development, forestry establishment, horticultural weed suppression, sediment control near waterways, and public green infrastructure. It is engineered to perform in highly erodible areas and on sites subject to high wind or heavy rainfall, with installation guidance covering anchor trenching, pin spacing for slope angle and overlap requirements between sheets. No post-project removal is required, which removes a significant labour and waste cost from synthetic alternatives.
The geotextile platform behind VE Geo-Loc™ has been used in major New Zealand projects, including the Manawatu Gorge stabilisation works, where Rubisco hemp and wool needle-punched matting was supplied directly for slope rehabilitation in a high erosion risk corridor. The same material platform is now produced under VE Geo-Loc™ Made by Rubisco for the Australian market.
VE Geo-Loc™ Made by Rubisco draws on Rubisco's vertically integrated natural fibre platform, spanning hemp cultivation in the South Island, wool sourced from New Zealand farmers, and processing and manufacturing across the company's Christchurch and Ashburton operations.
Vital Chemical will manage Australian distribution, technical support and project supply. The partnership combines Rubisco's natural fibre manufacturing capability with Vital Chemical's established civil and infrastructure distribution network across Australia, supporting adoption across construction, landscaping, environmental rehabilitation and public infrastructure projects.
For specification information, EPD documentation and supply enquiries in Australia, contact Vital Chemical at vitalindustries.com.au
