Woolgrowers across Victoria are championing their product's sustainability credentials and say Australians need to wear it with pride.
Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) industry relations officer Holly Byrne told Elmore growers that the sector needs to work hard to ensure changing European Union (EU) environmental regulations don't hamper the important export market.
Speaking at an event organised by Nutrien Ag Solutions last week, she said the textiles industry has come "onto the radar of our government's at a rapid rate and pollution has pushed that forward".
She said while wool is just one per cent of the global textile market, it is still vulnerable to new legislation questioning the product's sustainability, the EU productive environmental footprint (PEF) requirements.
"The textile industry has a pollution problem," she said.
"Clothing consumption has doubled in the last 15 years across the world and the textile industry creates 92 million tons of waste annually."
However, she said the world is changing how it consumes textiles.
"They are taking more note of what their products are made of and what happens to their products after they've been worn," she said.
"Obviously, we as wool producers have this great circular fibre which is natural and it's biodegradable but even with that, there are still some hurdles in our way."
The EU PEF ratings work like an energy efficiency rating on a washing machine - red/ one star is bad and green/ five stars is good.
Ms Byrne told farmers that because wool is shipped and it comes from methane-producing sheep, the EU has given it a "big red cross".
This could have implications for Australian wool's access to the EU market.
"Polyester and the synthetic companies have a big voice and big pockets so they have the ability to push that legislation to say that we're good, we're sweet," she said.
Ms Byrne said due to this regulatory pressure on the industry, woolgrowers have had to "band together" with other natural fibre groups such as cotton producers and cashmere, to fight their corner.
Together, these stakeholders have created a 'Make the Label Count' campaign, which AWI has invested in.
The group has worked to lobby parliaments across the world, including at the EU's Brussels base.
"We've got a seat at the table and that's really important because if you don't have that seat at the table, you can't have that conversation," said Ms Byrne.
She said this work is still ongoing and the AWI is focused on defending Australian wool growers' products on the global stage.
The Elmore farmers present at the Nutrien Ag event were firm in their defence of their wool's green credentials.
A number of farmers suggested that more needs to be done in Australia itself to gain traction.
They said the Australian Olympic team should be wearing wool clothing to Paris this summer, instead of synthetic tops that were "made in China".
Farmers speaking to Stock & Land in south-west Victoria agreed.
Winslow woolgrowers Brendan and Susan Finnigan, Kia Ora Merinos, said their wool was natural and renewable.
Mr Finnigan said their sheep lambed in spring to make best use of grass, fenced off waterways and used strict, low-chemical management.
"Everything has an effect on the environment but wool is a natural product that biodegrades," he said.
"If grown by people who look after their properties, wool is going to have less impact than a lot of other things."
Mrs Finnigan said Australia needed to do more to champion the sustainability of its wool.
"I don't think wool has ever disappointed - any use it goes for, it seems to do well," she said.
"There's a use for everything but it's not being communicated enough."
She said all Australian politicians should wear wool and suggested that the Merino should be put on a stamp.
"It'd be good if Australians were loud and proud about wool," she said.
"For example, you go to Ireland and all the tourist shops are full of wool and they're selling Merino wool.
"In Australia, you can't see wool anywhere and we're not marketing the products that we produce so well.
"When was the last time Australia had a sheep on a stamp?
"There could be a real effort to promote wool.
"I think it would be wonderful to educate the Australians about how great we are at growing wool here."
Ms Finnigan said woolgrowers were doing more on sustainability but this needed to be better communicated.
Her stamp suggestion has been formally sent to AWI.
Ellerslie sheep farmer Sherri Symons agreed with the Finnegans and said wool was the "best fibre in the world".
"There is such a vast divide between farmers and rural communities and the people that are in the cities that have virtually no understanding of the value of wool.
"They also have no understanding of the production of it and what is required.
"Even the characteristics and properties that wool has, they don't understand any of it.
"There is a huge amount of education that needs to happen.
"It is very much something we need to work really hard on."
Ms Symons also said politicians and everyone in the agricultural sector, including those working in shearing sheep, should wear more wool.
"How many people have wool carpets in their house?" she asked.
"How many people use wool for insulation and all these other amazing uses?
"There's so many uses for wool that we need to be embracing."
