NewMerino® is a new brand introduced to help U.S. manufacturers, retailers and consumers identify ethically produced Australian merino wool. Wool branded as NewMerino is produced by a network of Preferred Producer farmers, and is fully documented and traceable, giving buyers full knowledge of the pedigree of the wool they are receiving. The NewMerino network also features combers and spinners that are guaranteed to meet strict environmental and socially responsible manufacturing requisites.

Buyers can specify that the wool they buy meet certain criteria -- such as production using organic farming techniques and/or carbon-reducing methods of farming, sourcing from non-mulesed animals or conformance with certain fiber properties. The NewMerino program provides a connection between the buyer and the Preferred Producer farmer who can best meet the specifications. All farmers are subject to frequent onsite inspections to make sure they continue comply with the NewMerino program requirements.

In addition, every NewMerino branded product has an assigned e-number that allows information about the farm where the wool originated to be obtained using an online tracing system.

"Most wool supply chain documentation ends at the very first change of ownership, which is usually at the commodity auction stage," said Peter Vendeleur, e-wool®, NewMerino's third-party supply chain manager. "Wool changes hands many times throughout the textile manufacturing supply chain and unless detailed documentation is maintained, the integrity of the original wool can be completely destroyed."

"Now with NewMerino, the rapidly growing population of socially conscious consumers can be confident that the wool products they buy are produced with consideration and integrity all the way back to the farm."

July 27, 2010