Home » China leads the rebound of Australian merino wool, demand from Europe still low

China leads the rebound of Australian merino wool, demand from Europe still low

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The most evoked image when talking about Luna Rossa and the other hulls of this edition of the America’s Cup of sailing is that of a spaceship. In fact the boats fly, but on the water. And it would be more correct to say that glide thanks to the technological leap in design and materials used, similar to that done for bullet trains that “fly” just above the rails.

The showcase of the America’s Cup

In the waters of Auckland it is being decided who, between Red Moon and the holders of Emirates Team New Zealand will win the world‘s oldest sporting trophy. The fascination for these hulls and sails of a future that is already present increases if we consider that the only energy used is that of the wind and that among the materials chosen to protect sailors there is one of the most natural and long-lived that exist, wool. Or rather, Australian merino wool, which the global association The Woolmark Company is committed to protecting and promoting. The showcase of the America’s Cup is welcome (merino wool is an integral component of the Luna Rossa team uniform, developed with the technical support of the association), but Woolmark’s work goes far beyond, in sport and beyond, and focuses on particular on the social and environmental sustainability of the merino wool supply chain.

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Certified eco-sustainability

For example, recently published is the study that demonstrates how wool, both natural and treated and machine washable, easily biodegrades in marine environments, unlike synthetic fibers and the garments that contain them, which contribute to the formation of about 20% -35% of the microplastics in the oceans; a single polyester fleece garment can produce more than 1,900 microfibers per wash. “The wool obtained from sheep farming is one of the oldest fibers used by man to create garments: it has been known for thousands of years, even before the Roman or Babylonian Empire – explains Stuart McCullough, managing director by Woolmark -. Sustainability was not at the heart of the stylists’ work. Today we can say, regardless of the pandemic and the reflections on the relationship with nature, that sustainability has become an integral part not only of the work of stylists, young and old, but of every step of the supply chain, from raw materials to the final consumer and this puts merino wool in a position of absolute advantage ».

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Protection of tradition and the territory

There is also an element halfway between social and environmental sustainability, which McCullough emphasizes: the sheep that give us merino wool have been living in Australia for 225 years (in the photo above, a grazing flock) and breeders, who in the last 18 months had to overcome even the drought emergency and then that of fires, they are custodians in two ways: on the one hand they protect and pass on the know-how of farmers and shearers, on the other they ensure that the land is not exploited and endangered by other types of intensive agriculture.

The transparency needs of consumers

«Finally, we talk about climate change and plastic pollution every day and many regulatory bodies, including the European Union, are working on new labels that show consumers the genesis and the harmful potential of what they buy – recalls McCullough -. The goal is to replace a “linear” consumption model with a circular one. In reality, you don’t need to invent anything, but be more aware and attentive: merino wool shows everyone that the circular economy and sustainability are already real today. Indeed, they have been for millennia ». The economic effects of the pandemic, which came after the outbreak of the fires, also hit Australia and the supply chain of wool as a raw material. But China’s recovery, starting from the second half of 2020, has helped farmers and the merino wool supply chain: «The Chinese market is among the most important for the wool exhibition and the rebound recorded for months helps, even if it cannot compensate for the drop in demand in Europe and the United States – concludes McCullough -. Formal clothing has suffered a lot, less sportswear and we hope that more and more people will realize the functionality and added value that wool can give to sportswear ». Maybe with the complicity of Luna Rossa.

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