The Australian Wool Production Forecasting Committee’s (AWPFC) second forecast of shorn wool production for the 2026/27 season is 249.3 Mkg greasy, down 1.8% from the estimated 253.9 Mkg greasy produced in 2025/26. Sheep shorn numbers are forecast to fall 4.7% to 56.3 million head, remaining at historically low levels. National flock numbers appear to have stabilised, with any near-term flock growth likely to be... Read More

Combined North and South Island National Sale offering 9,700 bales. Selection consisted of 34% crossbred fleece, mainly good colour, 32% crossbred hogget and second shear, good colour, 10% halfbred fleece good colour, 7% merino fleece good colour and 17% associated oddments. A full bench of buyers including a good Australian representation focusing on the fine wool selection noted some spirited bidding with the s... Read More

The Australian wool market has recorded a small overall loss in this series, marking the third consecutive week of an overall drop. There was a total of 27,667 bales on offer nationally. This was 725 bales less than the previous series.  On day one in the East, the merino fleece Micron Price Guides (MPGs) movements ranged between minus 23 and plus 16 cents. The benchmark Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) dropped by ... Read More

Nuremberg – September 2026 – With Zen-phyr, Suedwolle Group’s latest Suedwebs Innovation Hub story, the company set out to challenge the traditional perception of wool as a fibre associated primarily with warmth and winter wear. Developed in collaboration with Chinese designer Feifei Teng, the loungewear capsule collection combines ultrafine Merino wool, advanced yarn engineering and a design-led approach to explore... Read More

Data from Textile Exchange’s Materials Benchmark shows that the 384 participating fashion, textile, and apparel brands and retailers (including subsidiary brands) made meaningful progress in 2025. This stands out especially when compared to the overall global fiber and material production volumes across all end uses, as seen in the latest edition of the organization’s annual Materials Market Report.  Textile Exch... Read More

China remained overwhelmingly Australia’s largest wool export market, accounting for 89.2% of export volume and 87.9% of export value. Although shipments to China fell by 5.2%, their value increased by 21.1%, implying a substantial rise in the average value of wool exported. This is consistent with the stronger wool prices recorded during the 2025–26 season. A similar pattern occurred in India and Italy. Expor... Read More

Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) is continuing its long-term investment in research towards a vaccine for flystrike, with a new project underway to build on years of research with CSIRO and move the technology closer to a practical, commercially viable option for Australian woolgrowers. Flystrike remains one of the most significant animal health and welfare challenges facing the Australian sheep industry. An effe... Read More

IWTO goes to Norway! In partnership with IWTO Member Norilia, the Wool Round Table will be held 24-25 November at the Næringslivets Hus (House of Enterprise). Næringslivets Hus is located in the Majorstuen district, a vibrant, bustling neighbourhood in Oslo’s West End. Working group meetings take place 23 November and an optional post-event tour 26-27 November. Programme Highlights:  The Round Table will ov... Read More

CITI (Confederation of Indian Textile Industry) reports that potential additional tariffs by the United States following the signing of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 could severely impact India’s textile and apparel exports, with industry body Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) urging the government to engage with Washington urgently to protect exporters.The US is the sin... Read More

The monthly comparisons of Total Lots, Bales and Weight tested for August 2026 compared with the same period last season are: +3.6%, -1.4% and -1.5% respectively. The progressive comparison of Total Lots, Bales and Weight tested for July 2026 to August 2026 compared with the same period last season are: +2.8%, -2.7% and -2.8% respectively. AWTA Ltd has tested 32.1 mkg (million kilograms) this season compared w... Read More

Vietnam is quietly but steadily reshaping its position in the European Union’s apparel market — not by flooding shelves with cheap goods, but by climbing the value chain. While many competing nations continue to compete on price and volume, Vietnam has taken a different route, one focused on quality, compliance, and higher-value product categories. This strategic shift is helping the country carve out a more resilie... Read More

Global Standards, the non-profit organisation behind the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), has launched the Global Responsible Textile Standard (GRTS), covering textiles made from a wider range of plant-based, animal, synthetic, regenerated cellulosic and recycled fibres. GRTS sets requirements covering environmental practices, chemical use, human rights, business conduct, due diligence and traceability acr... Read More

The US and China have agreed to extend their bilateral trade truce by two months to 10 January 2027, giving both sides more time to pursue a broader economic agreement ahead of a summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. “We have agreed today that we will extend what we call the Busan Agreement, the economic detente between the two countries that was scheduled to end on 10 Novembe... Read More