Cowens was founded in 1821 as a cotton wool manufacturer and in 1901 progressed into the manufacturing of non woven materials. In 1999 under new management the company diversified into the environmental products and services trade. The business manufactures a wide range of woven and needled materials for the upholstery and funeral trade. Alongside these, Cowens Ltd manufactures a range of environmental products ranging from pollution control hardware to spill clean-up consumables.