Wool strategy gains ground for Wool Partners International

Thirty manufacturers in the United States and Europe have begun making carpets under Wool Partners International's premium Laneve brand.

Theresa Gattung, chairwoman of the wool marketing and supply firm, told attendees at the Textile Sector conference the manufacturers, which include Glen Eden and Bloomsburg in the US, had agreed to produce carpets made of traceable NZ wool grown under strict animal welfare, sustainability and environmental standards.

Some manufacturers would produce up to four different ranges under the Laneve brand reports Stuff.

Retailers in Britain had also jumped on board, and were using their buying power to convert manufacturers there, Ms Gattung said.

The synthetic carpet industry had largely elbowed out wool carpets, which now accounted for only 2 to 3 per cent of the US market. Wool Partners had succeeded in establishing an industry standard for the use of woollen carpets in sustainable buildings in the US, but the balance was still in the synthetic sector's favour.

"The synthetic industry has been very successful in lobbying so that the international standards in terms of green building codes end up favouring synthetic and it's very hard for us to compete," she said. For example, more "points" were given for recyclability than bio-degradability, favouring synthetic carpet.

Greater integration was needed in the wool supply chain so sheep farmers could work closely with manufacturers and retailers. Wool Partners ' parent company Wool Grower Holdings, which planned to become a supplier-owned co-operative, was finalising a prospectus for sheep farmers, she said.