DALANG – The global wool industry opened its 95th annual IWTO Congress in Dalang, China, with industry leaders calling for deeper international cooperation, faster digital transformation and a stronger collective response to sustainability claims facing the sector.
The three-day event, running from 24 to 26 June, has brought together 238 participants from across the global wool supply chain. It is being held in Dalang, China’s premier “Knitting Village” and the world’s knitwear capital.
Dalang produces one in every five sweaters made globally, with annual output of more than 900 million garments.
Opening the Congress, IWTO president Klaus Steger said Dalang demonstrated what the wool industry could achieve when production expertise, trade and collaboration were brought together.
“Wool is our work and wool is our passion,” Steger said. “It is impressive to be here in Dalang, a living demonstration of what this industry can achieve. The discussions and partnerships we build this week will strengthen wool’s position in the textile landscape for years to come.”
The keynote address was delivered by Sun Ruizhe, chairman of the China National Textile and Apparel Council. China’s textile and apparel industry processes more than 60 million tonnes of fibre each year and accounts for more than half of global garment output. Within this landscape, Sun said wool occupies a distinctive position, linking agriculture, fashion, technology, culture and international trade.
He identified AI and digitalisation, changing consumer behaviour, cultural identity, the green transition and frontier science as the major forces now reshaping the textile sector.
The opening session also included addresses from Dalang and Dongguan officials. Dong Tie, secretary of the Dalang Town Party Committee, said the town had developed from importing quality wool from Australia and New Zealand into a knitwear hub exporting to more than 100 countries.
He said open cooperation and collaborative innovation would be essential to building a more resilient and sustainable future for the sector.
Qu Hongqi, vice chairman of the Dongguan Municipal Committee, also welcomed delegates and said Dongguan would continue to support digital transformation, brand development and smart manufacturing.
The Congress also heard from Yang Zhaohua, vice president of CNTAC, who said the wool textile industry was at a “key crossroads” as it faces market volatility and the emergence of new intelligent technologies.
The opening day also saw the launch of the IWTO Green Book, presented by Francesco Botto on behalf of the Wool Sector of Confindustria Moda and lead author Dr Paul Swan.
The Green Book is intended to provide a shared framework for wool’s environmental impact and traceability. More broadly, IWTO said it aims to help the wool industry reclaim the sustainability narrative at a time when fibre impacts, land use, livestock emissions and traceability are under increasing scrutiny.
“We must work together to give wool a new life and open a new era for our industry,” Botto said.
“The Green Book represents the idea that we can reclaim the sustainability narrative for wool,” Swan said. “Wool’s story should not be dictated by what others say. We want this Green Book to be the start of a change in how livestock and products like wool are perceived in the world.”
