A NEW British Wool Premium Label Partnership has been launched by the British Wool Marketing Board to promote manufacturers that use a higher content of British grown wool in their carpets, rugs and other products.

The hope is that this will allow quality manufacturers a chance to influence how much wool of genuine British origin is used in the blend of their ranges.

A new label - the Gold British Wool label and a pre-existing label - the Platinum label - are included in the new Premium Label Partnership. The labels have been created to clearly define a higher level of British Wool content within product - 70% within the wool blend in the case of the Gold label and 100% in the case of Platinum.

The Premium Label Partnership defines the manufacturer of the product and their supply chain and ensures that the manufacturer is responsible for ensuring the content is sourced and verified according to the criteria that is set-out by the BWMB. The BWMB audits the chain and the product is only awarded if the strict content values of the specific label meets the standards.

British Wool grown on breeds in the UK is regarded as the strongest wool in the world. It is the main wool choice in carpet for contract and commercial ranges - such as those found in casinos and hotels. This is due to its natural bounce-back caused by its crimp and robust bulk which resists pressure. The benefit from this is appearance retention and a resistance to flattening in carpets and maintaining good structure in products such as upholstery, bedding and mattresses.

Marketing manager of the BWMB, Tim Booth said: “We have had growing interest from textile manufacturers for a higher specification label that promotes quality fibre content - particularly in carpet and mattresses. These new labels and the Premium label partnership will encourage more to follow suit. The added value to the consumer is that this will be a great investment with superior performance.”