One out of every five sweaters worldwide is produced in Dalang, Dongguan—a figure cited by Sun Ruizhe, President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, during his keynote at the 95th IWTO Congress. The event, which opened on June 24 in Dalang, was hosted by the International Wool Textile Organization and co-organized by the China Wool Textile Association and the Dongguan Wool Textile Association, drawing representatives from over 20 countries. The core signal from the congress is clear: the wool industry stands at a crossroads of green transformation and standard-setting, and the capacity and resilience of Chinese factories are among the most critical variables in this shift.
The Green Paper Launch: A Battle for Data Narrative
The most noteworthy agenda item was the global launch of the IWTO Wool Green Paper. Project lead Francesco Botto admitted that only a handful of enterprises have participated so far, stressing the urgent need for a unified industry voice. The Green Paper has three core goals: establishing a traceable carbon footprint data system across the entire supply chain, coordinating industry organizations to gain leverage in EU policy-making, and using objective data to prove wool's advantages as a low-carbon, recyclable natural fiber. Dr. Paul Swan further pointed out that the deeper challenge lies in existing studies that deliberately exaggerate wool's environmental impact, leading a new generation of urban consumers to harbor bias against animal husbandry. The Green Paper is not just a technical document but a turning point in industry PR—the wool sector must proactively reshape its narrative, shifting from passive defense to active education.
The Dalang Model: From OEM to Global Synergy
Dalang Party Secretary Dong Tie noted in his speech that the local wool industry has evolved over four decades, with products now exported to over 100 countries. Sun Ruizhe provided key figures: Dalang produces over 900 million garments annually, with a total supply chain turnover exceeding 72 billion yuan. These numbers underpin a complete industrial ecosystem—from raw material processing and design prototyping to manufacturing and trade—making Dalang one of the world's densest wool knitting clusters. Dongguan CPPCC Vice Chairman Qu Hongqi emphasized that Dalang is transitioning from OEM to branding, smart manufacturing, and digitalization, and hosting this congress is a global endorsement of Dongguan's manufacturing capabilities.
Industry Impact: How Green Standards Reshape Sourcing Logic
For international buyers and export factories, the Green Paper launch signals significantly higher compliance thresholds for future wool orders. In the past, brands focused mainly on fabric price and delivery time; going forward, carbon footprint data, farm traceability, and processing energy consumption will become hard requirements in procurement contracts. China, as the world's largest wool processing capacity holder, imports large volumes of raw wool and exports finished products. The speed at which its factories digitalize and green their operations will directly affect China's bargaining power in the global wool supply chain. Another signal from the congress is that despite trade protectionism disrupting supply chains, the resilience of Dalang's industrial base proves that China's scale and flexible delivery remain irreplaceable.
Youth Power and Industry Heritage
The congress featured a dedicated "Young Wool" session, where dozens of young professionals from different countries introduced their businesses. Youth representative Jacques Ji noted that the platform aims to help newcomers build cross-border networks, transforming wool from an ancient craft into a career worth passing down through generations. This detail reflects the industry's urgency: wool faces dual challenges of an aging workforce and a generational disconnect among consumers. If young people are neither willing to enter factories nor trust wool's environmental credentials, the entire supply chain's sustainability is at risk. Therefore, the parallel push of the Green Paper's education plan and the youth program is essentially preparing both future producers and consumers for the industry.