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| Wool Round Table highlights importance of Indian wool textile industry | | November 27, 2009 (India) |  |
 At the IWTO Wool Round Table 2009, held in New Delhi (India) on 18th and 19th of November 2009, around 40 leading woollen and worsted manufacturers met with representatives from grower nations to discuss strategies on “how to market wool” under the current market conditions.
The Wool Round Table was held parallel to the annual convention of IAF – International Apparel Federation, with whom IWTO cooperates. During the meeting, contacts to important apparel manufacturers were established. The significance of the natural attributes of wool in the apparel sector was successfully communicated through a “wool show case” at the IAF convention as well as with a presentation on wool from IWTO Executive Committee Member, Peter Ackroyd.
At the Wool Round Table sessions, key discussions took place on how to best show wool’s inherent natural attributes with regard to “lobbying” and “marketing” for both apparel and interior textiles, and aligning the wool fibre with the current world wide focus on the climate change debate. It was felt that wool with its unique natural attributes should actively take a leadership role in the debate, and it was agreed amongst the delegates that the focus should be drawn on the positive Carbon Footprint of wool.
IWTO President Günther Beier welcomed the initiative taken by Australian Wool Innovation in the formation of the “Wool Carbon Alliance” alongside initiatives in New Zealand and UK in working towards a unified approach to the establishing of a single standard for the Carbon Footprint of wool. he also said that the results may differ somewhat from one country to another because of local environment, but will be based on the same criteria thus making them comparable not only to each other but also to other textile fibres. In the three mentioned countries, the wool industry has developed Life Cycle Analyses (LCAs) of their local wool, which confirms the positive figures of the fibre. President Beier stated that the key in this respect is to analyze and find a global base of uniform criteria for Carbon Footprints within the wool industry and other textile fibers.
“An international ‘One Voice’ approach of the entire wool industry is essential for our marketing and lobbying activities within the global textile industry”, Mr. Beier said in Delhi.
The President stated that holding the Wool Round Table in India, highlighted the significance and importance of the Indian wool textile industry, which is the 2nd largest textile industry in the world, and the 4th largest importer of wool for apparel textiles.
At a meeting with the Indian Minister of Textiles, the President was accompanied by IWTO Executive Committee and IWTO key industry members as well as Australian Wool Innovations CEO Brenda McGahan. IWTO called for world wide fair tariffs to be applied for wool and wool products. Should India adopt the internationally accepted tariffs, they would through their exemplary action enhance the interest for further foreign companies to invest in India. | | | | IWTO - International Wool Textile Organisation | |
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