Cape Wools to host international congress

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The IWTO is the international body representing the interests of the world's wool textile and trade industry. This year will see Cape Wools host the annual three day forum.

The congress aims to address key issues facing today's wool textile world, from global trends and environmental concerns to new market opportunities for wool's inherent eco-friendly and sustainable properties.

"According to research conducted by Cape Wools, the total income into South Africa resulting from wool exports currently stands at around R3bn per year, indicating the importance of this industry to the economy of South Africa and the Western Cape," says Nils Flaatten, CEO of the Western Cape's Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion agency, Wesgro.

Guest speakers

Guest speakers for this year's event include well renowned economist, Dawie Roodt, who will focus on the industry over the past 20 years; Dion Chang, one of South Africa's leading trend forecasters, will focus on global consumer trends and its influence on the wool industry; and Allan Savory, a research biologist and resource research consultant, will focus on sustainability in the wool industry.

"We are pleased to host events of this magnitude which also goes a long way in boosting our tourism industry, bringing in around 250 international leading wool industry representatives from countries including Argentina, Austria, Australia, China, Mongolia, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom and Uruguay," adds Flaatten.