One out of every five sweaters globally comes from Dalang, Dongguan, China. This statistic underpins a massive industrial cluster with an annual transaction value exceeding 72 billion yuan and garment production surpassing 900 million pieces yearly. On June 24, the 95th International Wool Textile Organization (IWTO) Congress convened here, with representatives from over 20 countries witnessing the global launch of the Wool Green Paper. This industry gathering signaled a clear direction: the global wool supply chain stands at a crossroads of green transformation and standard reset.
Industry Data Insights
Dalang's wool textile industry, developed over four decades, has formed a complete ecosystem from raw material processing to product design, manufacturing, and trade circulation. Public data from the China National Textile and Apparel Council shows that China possesses the world's largest wool processing capacity, importing large quantities of wool annually and exporting various wool products. Information from the congress indicates that Dalang is currently in a golden period of industrial transformation and upgrading, simultaneously advancing in technology, culture, and green initiatives.
Notably, Thanawat Tiensin, Assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, emphasized in his video address that behind every strand of wool fiber lies a farming family caring for livestock and preserving the land. This perspective, linking industry with human and natural ecosystems, is becoming a new dimension in global wool supply chain value assessment.
The Deep Game of Green Transformation
The release of the Wool Green Paper became the focal point of the congress. According to industry public information, the Green Paper directly addresses the core predicament facing the wool industry: existing data is alleged to exaggerate wool's negative environmental impact, and a new generation of urban youth, influenced by one-sided information, generally believes that animal husbandry poses environmental problems. Dr. Paul Swan stated at the launch that the industry has invested significant funds yet struggles to reverse misleading public opinion, with public perception of wool being skewed.
This reflects a deeper industry contradiction—the environmental value of natural fibers lacks a unified, credible data support system. Francesco Botto noted at the launch that currently only a few enterprises participate in building the traceability data system, urgently requiring a unified global voice and linkage with industry organizations to strengthen policy influence with the EU. This means that the green transformation of the wool industry is not only a technical issue but a battle for data sovereignty and standard discourse.
New Paradigm of Supply Chain Collaboration
Another key signal from the congress was the upgrade of supply chain collaboration mechanisms. IWTO President Klaus Steger pointed out that wool carries complex challenges across trade, politics, and environmental dimensions, requiring international organizations to play a bridging role. Dalang town Party Secretary Dong Tie proposed deepening global industry collaboration through the congress to build a sustainable wool textile ecosystem.
From a concrete implementation perspective, subsequent steps include customizing wool carbon footprint accounting standards by production regions, advancing wool durability standard development, and establishing a natural fiber industry alliance. These measures target the current pain point of the wool supply chain: the lack of a full traceability system from pasture to garment. For buyers, this means environmental certification for wool products will become a hard access threshold; for factories, digital traceability capability will evolve from a bonus to a necessity.