BRADFORD’s rich history at the heart of the British wool trade is set to continue after the city was selected for a new environmentally-friendly scheme.

British Wool, headquartered off Canal Road in the city, has created a new Traceable Wool Scheme, which tracks the origin of wool from the farm where the sheep it was sheared from lives, all the way through to the shop floor.

Bradford has been selected as one of British Wool’s largest three depots in the country to be a part of the scheme at its birth, which alongside Newtown in Wales and South Molton in Devon handle almost half of all wool handled by the national marketing board, owned and run by around 35,000 sheep farmers in the UK.

It continues Bradford’s rich history in the wool trade, having risen to prominence during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th Century, becoming known as the wool ‘capital of the world’ and producing huge quantities of wool products from the scores of textiles mills around the city.

While the industry has declined since the turn of the 20th Century, the city remains an important centre for wool in the UK.

British Wool said that as consumers become more socially and environmentally conscious, and the importance of sustainability grows, having traceability and provenance of products is becoming increasingly important.

The new 100 per cent Traceable Wool Scheme will clearly display the origins and journey of wool products to buyers.

Graham Clark, director of marketing, said: “We are keen to meet this ever increasing demand from consumers to understand the origin of their products.

“Our scheme allows consumers to fully understand where the wool in the products they are purchasing is from.

“It also gives them peace of mind that the producer has received a premium payment for their wool.

“Although this is the first year for the scheme we anticipate more than 500,000kg of traceable wool, from a wide range of types, will be sold through our auctions.

“Those producers whose wool has been selected to be part of the scheme this year will receive a premium for their 2021 wool.”

The new scheme not only provides full transparency on products to consumers, but also maximises the price that farms receive for their wool.

Mr Clark added: “As a farming co-operative our primary aim is to maximise the value of our producers wool.

“This scheme allows us to do exactly this as we are able to obtain a premium from the brands we are working with, which we will be making sure the producer receives.”

“We are initially launching this scheme in the sleep product category working with two leading brands in this market.

“We are very excited to be working with such premium brands and we will be working hard to ensure this is a success for all involved.”

Leeds-based Harrison Spinks is involved in the scheme, using the wool for its natural mattresses, and the South West’s Devon Duvets will use it for its bedding products.

Nick Booth, managing director at Harrison Spinks, added: “We are delighted to be a part of this new scheme as it supports our brand vision to be the most ethical and sustainable bed manufacturer.”