The Istanbul event organized by IWTO, the Global Association of the Wool Industry, International representatives and the industry was held with the participation of leading company officials and experts of the industry with sustainability, certification and important agenda items.
As Magazine Leather Publishing, on behalf of the Global Leather and Leather Products Sector, we participated in the 2-day event organized by the Global Wool Sector Association IWTO in Istanbul and presented our monthly magazine on the common aspects of the sector on Cashmere and Wool knitted designs in Leather Clothing Stores.
Starting from the earliest stages of humanity and today, animal husbandry, meat industry, leather and wool sectors are both consumed as food and dressed with natural products that nature offers to people. Today, one of these important sectors is the natural wool sector. It is one of the important positions of the textile industry.
Representatives from the Turkish textile and Wool sector and international representatives came together at the IWTO conference held in Istanbul on November 27-28, 2024. The sustainability principles of the Global Wool Industry and the certification and traceability program WOOLMARK were explained at the event.
WOOLMARK announces the launch of Woolmark+, a vision designed to unite wool growers, the supply chain and brands to ensure a sustainable future for the wool industry. It is a crucial traceability program for the global fashion industry. It is a program implemented to inform the consumer and guide them with increasing demands to adopt sustainable practices.
WOOLMARK+ aims to accelerate low-impact production, promote circularity, improve animal welfare and the livelihoods of wool growers. The roadmap sets out 13 practical initiatives aimed at strengthening the regeneration of nature, reducing carbon emissions and optimizing efficiency. This approach not only supports wool growers to achieve their business goals, but also aligns with brands’ growing commitment to reduce Scope 3 emissions and support supply chain sustainability.
It lays the foundation for a wool splicing market by connecting wool growers with global brands that aim to meet emissions targets with on-farm, nature-based solutions. This program, a research and development project on Reducing Methane Emissions from Livestock, focuses on identifying effective strategies to reduce methane emissions from grazing sheep. Initial results include an average 19% methane reduction and 27% productivity increase in grazing sheep consuming Agolin and a 50% methane reduction in sheep consuming Asparagopsis.
It was developed in consultation with wool growers and industry partners to provide reliable measures of on-farm environmental performance and enable brands to make defensible claims. A new Recycled sub-brand has been added to the WOOLMARK Certification program to promote quality-assured, recycled wool products and support wool’s position as the most recycled apparel fiber.
Today, Global Sustainability policies have become open to the guidance of Confederations, Associations and Companies to inform consumers for a more conscious consumer. For the Leather Industry, global associations have also taken steps in this regard and the Global Fur Industry’s Association IFF, certification program FURMARK is important in terms of sustainability and traceability.
John Roberts, Managing Director of ‘The Woolmark Company’ said:
“We’re looking beyond net zero to nature positive. While the term nature positive is increasingly being adopted in global rhetoric, we see it coupled with actionable goals and intentions across all sectors of the global economy. Taking a nature positive approach offers distinct advantages, especially as environmental priorities evolve beyond net zero targets.” he said and continued:
“While many fashion and textile brands have set emissions reductions targets, there is increasing acknowledgement of the wider movement to restore nature and enhance biodiversity. We’re seeing natural fibres that contribute to a nature positive future as an integral part of the fashion and textiles supply chain, meeting consumer demand for authenticity and transparency whilst brands are responding to wider goals and regulatory pressures. “
