Objectives
The International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) is the only international and genuinely independent organisation that is the custodian of world wool trade and industry regulations since 1927. Our mission is to confirm wool as the world’s sustainable and accessible premium fibre for use in applications from high end fashion through to healthy and safe interiors.
Facts
This industry is producing a most natural, renewable and environment friendly and comfortable product: WOOL
The wool industry is:
- Producing around 2,1 million tons of wool per year
- Taking care of more than 1 billion sheep around the world, with the highest focus on animal welfare
- 78% of the world wool production is taking place in IWTO member countries
- There is almost 816,000 tons of fabric (wool and other wool blends) produced yearly by the global wool industry, of which 92% is produced in IWTO member countries
- Over 900,000 tons of raw wool (greasy, scoured, carbonised) trade yearly, with IWTO members accounting for 87 %
- The value of raw wool exports (greasy, scoured, carbonised) from IWTO members is around US$ 2.5 billion yearly (source : Woolmark)
- The value of wool tops exported from IWTO Countries is around US$ 1.2 billion yearly (source: Woolmark)
- 92% of the world production of wool tops is manufactured in IWTO member countries
- Over 2 million tons of yarn (wool and other fibres) produced in the world yearly, of which IWTO Member Countries account for 72 %
- 90% of all worldwide fabrics containing wool are produced in IWTO member countries
- The total retail value of sales of wool products is around US$80 billion yearly (source : Woolmark)
- IWTO is representing an industry with more than 200 000 commercial farms and several million small-hold farms world wide, and more than 4 000 wool & textile manufacturing companies
- The wool industry employs millions of people in production, harvesting and throughout its many processing stages
Emerging from the U.N. Year of Natural Fibres 2009 the Discover Natural Fibres Initiative supported by IWTO is a worldwide campaign to promote the use of natural fibres through education about their benefits both to the wearer as well as the environment as a whole. 