Icebreaker was conceived and designed around the philosophy of sustainability, using natural fibres, environmental and social ethics, and animal welfare.
[1] Icebreaker started when, in 1994, an American girlfriend introduced Jeremy Moon, then 24, to a merino wool farmer she had stayed with as she backpacked around New Zealand.
[3] It moved offices to Portland, Oregon[6] in 2007 and, in December 2008 combined its U.S. sales and marketing office with its global design studio at a new headquarters at 1330 NW 14th Avenue in Portland, which was Gold certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system established by the U.S. Green Building Council.
[citation needed] After having been on the company's board since July 2012,[13] former Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe started as its executive chairman in September 2013.
[16] Icebreaker has developed a merino fibre layering system in multiple weights including: 120 g/m2 Featherweight, 150 g/m2 Ultralite, 200 g/m2 Lightweight, 260 g/m2 Midweight, 320 g/m2 Midlayer and 380 g/m2 Outerlayer.
[3] Icebreaker was conceived and designed around the philosophy of sustainability, using natural fibres, environmental and social ethics, and animal welfare.
[3] In return, contracted growers agree to meet Icebreaker's strict conditions on environmental and social issues, and on animal welfare.
Icebreaker is now supplied with merino fibre by 140 high country stations, which cover more than 2 million acres (810,000ha) of New Zealand countryside.
In June 2008, Icebreaker signed the biggest wool contract ever in New Zealand, worth approximately US$50 million[citation needed].