Korean Cheil backs wool's environmental credentials

24 Mar '10

3 min read

Korean wool processor and apparel giant Cheil Industries is contributing to a major Australian environmental initiative, the Australian Land Management Certification System (ALMCS).

Cheil's merchandising manager Ms Mikyoung Shin, who is visiting Australia this week, said the company is keen to help support the natural environment in which Australian Merino wool is grown.

'The inherent properties of Australian Merino wool have been crucial to the success of Cheil's Galaxy range of men's suits,' Ms Shin said.

'In recognition of this, Cheil has decided to provide funds for the sustainable management of grazing land on which Australian woolgrowers produce this wonderful fibre. We are very appreciative of the work done by the woolgrowers.

'We regard the continued success of our products as being fundamentally linked to sustainable environmental management in Australia, and hence we feel a corporate responsibility towards the Australian wool growing community.'

Cheil Industries, which is part of the Samsung Group, is the most influential vertical wool processor and apparel retailer in Korea, with an estimated total turnover last year of A$1.3 billion.

The company's wool division produces mainly extra fine Merino fabrics, and machine knit yarns, selling more than 500,000 of its prestige Merino wool suits every year.

AWI and Cheil have had a strong business relationship for many years with collaboration on several demand-building projects – Cheil is one of the business partners involved in AWI's Korean Marketing Program. AWI also arranged the agreement between Cheil and the Australian Land Management Group (ALM Group) – the group responsible for ALMCS.

AWI general manager of product development and commercialisation Jimmy Jackson said Cheil's initiative with the ALM Group will help wool's environmental credentials along the supply chain in ways that recognise and reward woolgrowers.

'This is an inspiring example of a major apparel company going directly to the source and helping woolgrowers who are custodians of the Australian environment,' Jimmy said.

'It shows how important the natural and sustainable properties of wool are to our partners in the apparel and retail trade.'

ALM Group CEO Tony Gleeson thanked Cheil for the $20,000 financial contribution towards the ALMCS – a whole-of-farm, catchment-linked national certification system for land management.

'The ALM Group believes that the best way of improving environmental outcomes in rural Australia is to have a system that allows landholders and land managers to show their customers here and overseas, as well as the general community, that they are responsible land managers,' Mr Gleeson said.

'Cheil's initiative will help provide support for woolgrowers who can demonstrate improving environmental performance.'

Australian Wool Innovation Limited (AWI)

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