The 95th International Wool Textile Organization (IWTO) Congress opened on June 24 in Dalang Town, Dongguan, Guangdong, a hub for the wool textile industry. The central message from the Congress was clear: the global wool textile industry is at a pivotal moment, shifting from scale-driven growth to standard-setting, green transformation, and supply chain coordination.
The Dalang Model: Scale, Agglomeration, and Transformation Pressure
Over four decades, Dalang has built a complete industrial ecosystem encompassing raw material processing, product design, manufacturing, and trade. Public data shows that one out of every five sweaters globally is produced in Dalang, with annual garment output exceeding 900 million pieces and the entire industrial chain's annual transaction value surpassing 72 billion yuan. This positions Dalang as an indispensable node in the global wool supply chain.
However, scale alone is not a moat. Party Secretary Dong Tie explicitly stated that Dalang is advancing intelligent, green, and brand-oriented transformation. This reflects a broader industry reality: the growth model relying solely on OEM and scale advantages has hit its ceiling. As global consumer trends shift toward sustainability and personalization, Dalang's upgrade—from OEM to own brands, from extensive to intelligent and green—mirrors the overall transformation of China's wool textile industry.
The Green Paper Launch: A Battle for Narrative
A landmark event at the Congress was the global launch of the IWTO Green Paper on wool. Dr. Paul Swan highlighted a deep-seated industry challenge: existing data deliberately exaggerates wool's negative environmental impact, and younger urban generations, influenced by one-sided messaging, generally view animal husbandry as environmentally harmful. This means the wool industry is not just competing with synthetic fibers for market share but also for the 'sustainable' label in consumer perception.
The Green Paper's core objective is to establish a unified, full-chain traceability data system and develop region-specific carbon footprint accounting standards for wool. Francesco Botto noted that currently only a few enterprises participate in data co-building. For buyers and factories, this signals that within a few years, carbon footprint data for wool products will become a hard market access requirement, not an optional marketing gimmick. Those who complete the digital transformation first will gain the upper hand in green policy negotiations in markets like the EU.
China's Global Role in Wool: Capacity Advantage and Key Breakthroughs
Sun Ruizhe, President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, delivered a key judgment: China's textile industry provides certainty for the stable development of the global industry. China possesses the world's largest wool processing capacity, importing large quantities of raw wool and exporting a wide range of wool products. Against the backdrop of trade protectionism disrupting supply chains, this capacity stability is itself a scarce resource.
But certainty does not equal security. Deng Xiaoding, a second-level inspector from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, outlined a four-point roadmap: joint standard building, innovation-driven growth, green foundation, and open pathways. Standards are the industry's language—without them, global coordination is impossible; innovation is the internal engine—without technological breakthroughs, the industry remains at the low end of the value chain; green is a market entry ticket—without sustainability certification, products risk being marginalized in Western markets; openness is a prerequisite for survival—without global cooperation, geopolitical risks become difficult to hedge.
From Youth Programs to Industrial Ecosystem: Dual Reshaping of Talent and Narrative
The Congress featured a dedicated wool youth project session. Youth representative Jacques Ji noted that the project aims to help newcomers cross geographical boundaries, build networks, and consolidate the industry chain's strength. This seemingly soft component actually addresses a key pain point: how to attract and retain young talent in a traditional industry. When younger generations gravitate toward tech and finance, the wool industry must offer not just jobs but an attractive career narrative.
The presentation by Zhuoma, from Tibet Zhuofanlin Culture Co., Ltd., showcased an alternative model: combining local specialty resources like yak down with intangible cultural heritage techniques to build a sustainable supply chain. This practice demonstrates that the wool industry's green transformation is not just an environmental issue but can also be a vehicle for cultural storytelling and community economic development.