{"id":5674,"date":"2021-09-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-02T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/campaign-to-grow-wool-awareness\/"},"modified":"2021-09-03T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-09-02T12:00:00","slug":"campaign-to-grow-wool-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/news\/campaign-to-grow-wool-awareness\/","title":{"rendered":"Campaign to grow wool awareness"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

The tide is turning towards natural fibres and New Zealand wool is perfectly positioned to take up the mantle as the world\u2019s premium super fibre.<\/p>\n

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But Campaign for Wool (CFW) NZ Trust chair Tom O\u2019Sullivan says \u201cyou can\u2019t sell a secret\u201d.<\/p>\n

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The trust, with its mandate of education and awareness of wool, has launched a strategy aimed at delivering immediate traction in growing consumer demand for wool.<\/p>\n

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\u201cDemand needs to come from the consumer and we need to start now to ensure people are aware of how wool fibre can benefit them in their lives,\u201d O\u2019Sullivan said.<\/p>\n

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He says the strategy, developed over the past six months, will set the failing strong wool sector up for transformational industry growth to bring wool back to the strong economic pillar it once was for NZ.<\/p>\n

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To change the fortunes of the NZ strong wool industry, it needs to develop a transformational strategy for the future direction of the industry.<\/p>\n

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O\u2019Sullivan says the strategy must come before structure or tactical pieces of work.<\/p>\n

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Over the past year, the CFW NZ board has gained traction and tripled its budget to make progress as it works with Auckland-based strategists Richard Partners to produce the framework for an overarching strategy.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s no silver bullet, but we believe implementing this strategy will deliver immediate traction to grow consumer demand for wool, first in NZ, then globally,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt will set us up for the transformational industry growth we envision over the next decade.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The strategy\u2019s aim is for CFW to be the wool information conduit for both consumers and industry stakeholders.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s targeted on getting game-fit in NZ, focused on making as much noise as possible to NZ consumers first, then in 18 months the plan is to use the same measures to target a global perspective,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe have to walk the talk in the domestic market and when we prove that, we can roll out globally from 2022 onwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Key priorities as the strategy rolls out are communication and education across all platforms of use to develop an industry resource portal for wool.<\/p>\n

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Market insight development will focus on usage and attitude studies of the \u2018what and why\u2019 of wool and the \u2018where and who\u2019 is selling it.<\/p>\n

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Growing brand partners with NZ companies will be key to pull it all together.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat we are doing has the purpose of a sole strategy moving forward, collaborating together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe big picture is we really do need to get everyone in the same tent working on one single strategy.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFarmers and government are not interested in silo mentality; they want to see an industry that moves and pulls in the same direction.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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O\u2019Sullivan believes CFW is the right entity to drive the strategy to grow demand for wool.<\/p>\n

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\u201cCFW has a vital role to play in bringing industry stakeholders together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBeing non-commercial allows us to speak with no vested interest in the industry, we are an impartial and industry-good voice for the benefit of all stakeholders.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFarmers are sick of talk, they want action, honesty and accountability \u2013 over-delivering on this strategy is our absolute goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

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He urges farmers to hang in there and not give up on wool.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI know it is currently bloody tough going but the world is on the cusp of a massive environmental crusade for which wool can provide solutions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe future is extremely bright if we take the amazing opportunity in front of us, walk the talk, promote and buy wool products and help protect the environment.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI hope they (farmers) will see us having a clear and concise focus.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The CFW strategy is not about running off in a different direction to the Strong Wool Action Group (SWAG).<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe are looking to engage with SWAG and collaborate on a strategy that will potentially see CFW morph into a marketing role with an overarching industry strategy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cTo implement this strategy, we will consult with consumers who make conscious purchasing decisions based on environmental impact.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe will influence the influencers, developers, architects, interior designers, and even government.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The initial impact of the strategy is expected to be notable by Christmas, with the real impact to be analysed and reported in 12-18 months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The tide is turning towards natural fibres and New Zealand wool is perfectly positioned to take up the mantle as the world\u2019s premium super fibre.\nBut Campaign for Wool (CFW) NZ Trust chair Tom O\u2019Sullivan says \u201cyou can\u2019t sell a secret\u201d.\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":5675,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t