The 88th International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) annual Congress, held in Venice on 9-11 April, was attended by more than 320 delegates from around the world, including 25 as part of the IWTO Young Professionals Programme, which has now welcomed more than 100 young members of the industry since 2012. With 'Wool in Excellence' as its over-arching theme, the event provided insight into Italy's rich wool heritage with visits to the Benetton headquarters in Treviso, which hosted the third day of the Congress, and to the major wool textile producer the Marzotto Group in Valdagno. A recurring topic was sustainability, with keynote speaker Livia Firth, co-founder and creative director of Eco-Age, stating that "the time for wool is now," while IWTO President Peter Ackroyd underlined wool's green attributes. "It is entirely ethically possible for anyone who wishes to abstain from meat, fish and dairy to use wool for the well-being of the planet," he said.
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