Trust wool to deliver sustainability with style
Website Editor • August 23, 2019
The status of wool as the luxury fibre for a more environmentally aware age is rising fast. Wools of New Zealand reports growing recognition for the benefits of natural carpets as its promotional
campaign gains momentum in the market.
The company instigated a marketing campaign about the many benefits of its wool aimed at reminding flooring sales people what a great product wool truly is. To simplify the message the many benefits of wool have been categorised as Style Friendly, People Friendly and Planet Friendly. The message to the consumer is simple however each message is backed up by extensive scientific research to give sales people confidence in promoting wool as a truly sustainable naturally occurring fibre. The creativity of this approach was marked by a Flooring Innovation Award for Marketing.
“We are experiencing a significant increase in demand for our traceable wool from brands looking for a trust mark for their consumers. It has always been our mission to protect the planet and
to provide consumers with a natural sustainable, luxury fibre,” says Steven Parsons, Brand & Business Development Manager at Wools of New Zealand.
Behind the scenes Wools of New Zealand are working on breakthroughs in science such as their Glacial XT fibre that provides exceptionally bright and while wool, as well as new technologies for release in 2020.
“Our new technologies are positioning our fibre as the ultimate sustainable material for the future. There have been concerns raised about the handle of wool and the vulnerability of wool to insect attack, partly as a result of the warmer weather here in the UK. We will be rolling out some new innovations soon that deliver on market trends and demands, while creating the potential to reduce the carbon footprint in manufacturing,” says Parsons.
Wools of New Zealand has also been acknowledged for their long-standing contribution to the United Kingdom carpet and textile sector by Carpet Recycling UK at their annual conference. The award specifically recognises Wools of New Zealand’s commitment to driving sustainability across the supply chain.
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BUSINESS NEWS
Imports of soft flooring including wall-to-wall carpet and rugs were up 8.8% to £74.75m in March, according to HMRC data compiled by The Furnishing Report. With this increase, imports of carpet grew faster during the period than alternatives like vinyl.
GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index decreased by four points to -23 in April. All measures were down in comparison to last month’s announcement. These are the current findings of the GfK Consumer Confidence Barometer (CCB) powered by NIM. The CCB has been published jointly by GfK and the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM), the founder of GfK, since October 2023.
Likewise Group, the UK flooring distributor, has announced its audited final results for the year ended 31 December 2024.
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The prices of carpets and other floorcoverings fell 1.8% in March 2025, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics. This is the second consecutive month of falling prices, with carpets seeing a drop of 1.7% in February, down from 2.5% growth in the same period last year.
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