One in every five sweaters worldwide comes from a single Chinese town. Dalang, Dongguan, a renowned wool knitting hub, hosted the 95th IWTO Congress on June 24. The event released striking figures: Dalang produces over 900 million garments annually, with a total supply chain turnover exceeding 72 billion yuan. These numbers underscore the deep integration of China's manufacturing into the global wool supply chain. The congress, however, focused not on scale but on transformation pressures.
Industry Backdrop and Transformation Pressures
Dalang's wool industry, spanning over four decades, exports to more than 100 countries. But the core message from the congress was the urgency of transition. Sun Ruizhe, President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, noted in his keynote that China's wool sector is empowering global supply chains through smart and green manufacturing, yet trade protectionism is straining resilience. Meanwhile, consumer misperceptions about livestock's environmental impact are forcing the industry to reshape its narrative.
The release of the IWTO Wool Green Paper directly addresses this pressure. Project leaders revealed that existing data deliberately exaggerates wool's negative environmental effects, leading to biased perceptions among urban youth. The Green Paper aims to unify traceability data across the supply chain, develop regional carbon footprint standards, and establish a natural fiber industry alliance. This is not just a technical standard battle but a discourse power struggle—the wool industry must proactively control the sustainability narrative.
Global Collaboration and Regional Practices
The congress gathered representatives from over 20 countries, focusing on supply chain synergy and standard co-creation. A representative from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology proposed four pathways: use standards as a common language, drive digital transformation through innovation, highlight natural fiber value with green credentials, and build a mutually beneficial ecosystem through openness. These pathways outline China's wool industry upgrade from OEM to branding and smart manufacturing.
Dalang's own practices provide a template. Town Party Secretary Zou Jinchuan shared that Dalang is empowering its industry through technology, culture, and green initiatives, opening cooperation in raw materials, technology, branding, and platforms. This signals a shift from manufacturing hub to technology and brand incubator. Notably, Tibet Zhuofanlin Co. showcased a 'platform+workshop+school' model combining highland yak wool with intangible cultural heritage, proving that sustainable paths need not be purely industrial.
Youth Power and Standard Competition
The congress featured a wool youth project session, with dozens of young delegates from various countries presenting their business areas. Project leaders emphasized the platform's role in helping newcomers build cross-border networks. In an aging traditional textile industry, cultivating young talent ensures continuity. Crucially, these youth will implement green standards—the Green Paper's rollout requires global industry investment, and younger generations show higher affinity for sustainability.
From an industry impact perspective, the congress's clearest signal is that wool competition is shifting from cost to standards. EU policy influence, carbon footprint unification, and durability standard development—these technical issues will determine global wool trade patterns over the next five years. For Chinese wool companies, relying solely on production capacity is no longer viable. Participating in standard-setting and mastering data discourse are the next core competencies.