The first European Wool Day, organised by the European Wool Exchange (EWE) Foundation, will be held online this Friday 9th April and is open to anyone interested in the issue.
The aim of the event is to celebrate wool, providing an opportunity at European level for networking and learning from other countries. On the day, Irish Fibre Crafters in Ardrahan, Co, Galway, will be contributing among many others.
More than 100 million sheep now graze in Europe and the UK, reared together with their little lambs to produce cheese milk and meat for homes and restaurants, the EWE said.
However, each of them naturally produces about 1.5kg of wool every year and in the spring, it must be shorn for animal welfare so they do not suffer from the summer heat.
“Over the last 50 years, the European wool sector has been decimated, It’s time to recreate a local, resilient textile economy by buying European wool instead of using cheap synthetic fibres,” said the EWE.
The situation has become critical in some parts of Europe where for various reasons it is economically impossible for the raw wool to find a buyer. This has resulted in tons of wool being abandoned or buried or burned.
EWE is aiming to create better coordination of the different associations and groups in Europe that are interested in the circular economy of wool. The events of the day will be live-streamed via Facebook.
For more information:
https://www.ewe.network/post/9-april-first-european-wool-day
LSL News.