Trace the wool you sleep on…

Traceability and the provenance of products are becoming increasingly important to an ever more socially and environmentally conscious consumer. To meet this growing demand British Wool are launching a new 100% traceable wool scheme that traces the origin of the wool from the farm gate to the shop floor. Graham Clark, Director of Marketing explains “We are keen to meet this ever increasing demand from consumers to understand the origin of their products. Our scheme allows consumers to fully understand where the wool in the products they are purchasing is from.  It also gives them peace of mind that the producer has received a premium payment for their wool.”

The scheme will initially include wool from 3 of British Wool’s largest depots; Bradford, Newtown and South Molton who between them handle nearly 50% of the wool handled by British Wool, Clark continues “Although this is the first year for the scheme we anticipate that over ½ million kgs of traceable wool, from a wide range of types, will be sold through our auctions. Those producers whose wool has been selected to be part of the scheme this year will receive a premium for their 2021 wool.”

The new scheme is designed not only to give full transparency to consumers but to also maximise the price the producer receives for their wool, Clark explains “As a farming co-operative our primary aim is to maximise the value of our producers wool, this scheme allows us to do exactly this as we are able to obtain a premium from the brands we are working with which we will be making sure the producer receives.” he continued “We are initially launching this scheme in the sleep product category working with 2 leading brands in this market; Devon Duvets who supply 100% British wool bedding and Harrison Spinks the premium mattress manufacturer who use wool for their luxury natural mattresses.”

Nick Booth, Managing Director at Harrison Spinks commented “We are delighted to be a part of this new scheme as it supports our brand vision to be the most ethical and sustainable bed manufacturer.” 

Devon Duvets Managing Director Dick Beijen added “We have been working with British Wool for a number of years and are proud to use this fantastic natural fibre at the heart of our products, our new traceable range is now available on our website (devonduvets.com) and will shortly be available through our network of retail partners, including John Lewis.”

Clark concluded “We are very excited to be working with such premium brands in the bedding market and we will be working hard to ensure this is a success for all involved. Over the next few years we hope to work with a wide range of wool processors and manufacturers to offer fully traceable British wool products to the consumer whilst also achieving better wool prices for producers over the long term.”