The global wool industry is undergoing a profound reconstruction from concept to tool. On June 26, the three-day 95th International Wool Textile Organization (IWTO) Congress concluded in Dalang, Dongguan, with over 50 experts engaging in intensive discussions on sustainability, traceability, and intelligent manufacturing. China Customs data shows that in 2023, China imported approximately 250,000 tons of wool, with demand for superfine wool continuing to rise, yet supply chain opacity is emerging as a potential trigger for trade barriers.
Traceability Systems: From Fragmented Pilots to Standardized Implementation
Zhang Yudong, Technical Director of the China Wool Textile Association, disclosed at the congress that the association, in collaboration with multiple parties, has launched a China wool traceability platform. The platform utilizes the national industrial internet identification system to achieve 'one item, one code,' covering full-process information recording and authoritative testing data on the blockchain from pasture to garment. This means domestic wool will have a verifiable digital identity for export, directly addressing compliance requirements for supply chain transparency from markets such as the EU.
The AWSS (Australian Wool Sustainability Scheme) and AWTH (Wool Traceability Hub) systems jointly launched by the Australian Wool Exchange and testing institutions aim to resolve the contradiction between growing global brand demand for sustainable traceability and the high costs and data fragmentation of traditional certification. Their core logic is to integrate existing Australian pasture coding and testing grading resources, avoiding duplicate certification and reducing farmer burdens. The Uruguay Wool Secretariat (SUL) showcased the country's full-process traceability system for 60% natural grassland pastures—every wool bale is independently numbered, with the entire flow path from pasture to markets in China, Italy, and elsewhere fully traceable.
On the European front, Sura & Co's wool traceability pilot uses third-party risk assessment to simplify farm audits and plans to expand to wool categories from multiple countries. The company also called for the establishment of a unified global traceability standard covering core evidentiary elements such as identity markers, completeness, compliance credentials, and transactional data. The CEO of SPIN360 pointed out the current chaos in textile sustainability assessment standards and noted that 16-country experts have launched a unified assessment guide to establish measurement references for biomaterials like wool and silk, with plans to establish a Natural Materials Research Institute.
Intelligent Manufacturing Upgrade: AI and Green Manufacturing Reshape Capacity Logic
Traditional wool manufacturing has long relied on economies of scale, but Zheng Qi, CEO of Shanghai Shepherd Textile Technology Group, proposed a distinctly different path at the congress. The core of its Anhui Sustainable Fashion Industrial Park is not expanding production lines but building three digital hubs: the NAO AI virtual loom platform serving as a material innovation engine, an intelligent rapid-response center covering factories and warehouses, and a green manufacturing center with recycled wool certification. This model implies that future capacity competition will shift from 'loom count' to 'data response speed' and 'circularity capability.'
Zhou Xinxiang, Managing Director of Shengzhou Youngor Wool Textile Co., Ltd., provided a corporate-level transformation framework from three dimensions: technology, fashion, and green. He emphasized industry-academia-research collaboration to tackle key technologies and noted that the shift from 'basic manufacturing' to 'value empowerment' must align with international cutting-edge trends. For buyers, this means that supplier evaluation criteria are undergoing a fundamental change—pure capacity indicators are no longer sufficient to measure competitiveness.
Consumer-Driven: Wool's Penetration from Outdoors to Daily Life
The Woolmark Company's category expansion plan shows that wool applications have extended beyond traditional garments to footwear, accessories, home textiles, and even automotive textiles. Lin Xiaofei, General Manager of Anta Champion, shared the strategic layout of wool in outdoor sports scenarios at the congress: leveraging national team R&D resources, the brand has developed benchmark products such as the Lingyang wool T-shirt and off-road wool top, utilizing wool's constant temperature, breathability, and antibacterial properties to target high-intensity scenarios like trail running, hiking, and skiing.
Data from Tmall's Innovation Center further validates this trend: Merino wool apparel is growing significantly faster in the Chinese market than in other key global markets, with fabric becoming the primary consideration for consumers when purchasing clothing. This means that for upstream yarn and fabric manufacturers, changing consumer preferences at the end market are forcing the supply chain to respond more quickly and transparently.