Wool is one of the world’s oldest traded commodities. Today, it is still one of the most relevant.
Renewable, biodegradable, traceable, and high-performing — wool is well-placed to meet the demands of a textile industry under pressure to do better. The challenge is ensuring the standards, science, and knowledge that underpin the wool trade are robust enough to match that opportunity. That is IWTO’s work.
Since 1930
Representing the global wool trade
45 members
In 29 countries
Farm to retail
Across the wool pipeline
WHAT WE DO
Standards & trade
Advocacy & policy
We represent wool’s political, environmental, and economic interests with governments and organisations such as the European Commission and European Parliament, the UN FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health.
Market Intelligence
Market data, R&D, and working group forums covering health & wellness, wool interiors, grower issues, sheep welfare, biosecurity, traceability, and more — across the full supply chain.
Community
Through the annual Congress, Wool Round Table, Young Professionals programme, Working Groups and regular wool newsletters, we connect the global wool trade.
The global authority for wool standards
Since 1930, IWTO has been the recognised international body for standards in the wool textile industry. Our test certificate is the gold standard in the industry — the basis on which wool is bought, sold, and trusted across global markets.
IWTO-licensed laboratories operate in every major wool-producing and processing country, and our standards are updated annually to reflect the latest science and the evolving requirements of trade, regulation, and sustainability.
A sustainable future for wool
Wool’s environmental story is strong — but it needs to be measurable, verifiable, and credible to stand up in today’s market. IWTO works with members and the broader industry to quantify wool’s sustainability performance, develop traceability frameworks, and maintain animal welfare standards that meet global expectations.
Our working groups bring together expertise from across the supply chain to tackle the issues that will define wool’s future: lifecycle assessment, recycled fibre, biosecurity, sheep welfare, and grower strategy.
Health, wellness & performance
Wool’s functional properties — thermal regulation, moisture management, odour resistance, flame resistance — are backed by a growing body of scientific evidence. IWTO curates and communicates that evidence, supporting industry professionals and brands in making credible, substantiated claims.
A global industry, working together
IWTO’s members span every stage of the wool pipeline around the world: woolgrowers, processors, spinners, weavers, dyers, finishers, retailers, and research institutions.
Conceived in 1924 as an agreement between the British and French wool textile industries, IWTO became a permanent international organisation in 1930. More than nine decades later, it remains the central forum for the global wool trade.
IWTO Congress
The annual Congress brings together wool professionals from across the world for knowledge-sharing, industry debate, and professional networking. The premier gathering of the global wool trade.
Wool Round Table
Focuses on IWTO internal business and provides an in-depth look at the wool industry in the host country — a forum for members to engage directly with regional markets and supply chains.
Resources
IWTO’s resource library spans market data, technical fact sheets, sustainability research, and industry publications including Wool Notes. Developed by and for the wool industry, these resources are used by professionals across the supply chain for compliance, research, commercial intelligence, and education.