{"id":53631,"date":"2026-02-20T14:59:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T13:59:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.axfoundation.se\/?p=53631"},"modified":"2026-02-22T21:12:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T20:12:27","slug":"five-recommendations-for-decision-makers-to-prevent-wool-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.axfoundation.se\/en\/news\/five-recommendations-for-decision-makers-to-prevent-wool-waste","title":{"rendered":"Five Recommendations for Decision-Makers to Prevent Wool Waste"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sweden produces around 1,000 tonnes of wool every year. Yet only half of it is used. The rest is wasted, while approximately 1,700 tonnes of wool are imported. The problem is that it costs Swedish sheep farmers more to handle the wool than they are paid for it. Five political recommendations<\/a> are now being presented that could make it economically viable to make use of Swedish wool.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Project partners from The Swedish Wool Initiative; Axfoundation, Arena Svensk Ull and Dalarna Science Park, now present five concrete political recommendations to strengthen the Swedish wool value chain. Photo: iStock<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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The problem is not quality or willingness \u2013 it is profitability<\/h4>\n

Experience from The Swedish Wool Initiative<\/a> \u2013 a collaboration project<\/a> led by Axfoundation and Dalarna Science Park together with actors across the entire wool value chain \u2013 shows that the low utilisation of wool in Sweden is not due to poor wool quality or a lack of willingness among sheep farmers; quite the opposite. The challenge is instead that today\u2019s system makes it difficult to make the numbers add up.<\/p>\n

Wool is not just any material. It is naturally flame-resistant, temperature-regulating and biodegradable. It has strong potential for use in defence and healthcare as well as construction and textiles, for example as insulation in jackets and equipment, padding and textiles in furniture and interiors, building insulation, and as durable fabrics for workwear and outerwear<\/a>. At the same time, much of the wool in products within these areas is currently imported. Strengthening the Swedish wool value chain is therefore not only about rural development. It is about preparedness, resilience and reduced dependence on imports.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a persistent myth that Swedish wool would be of poor quality \u2013 it\u2019s really about using the right wool for the right product, says Johan Sidenmark, Project Manager within Future Materials at Axfoundation.<\/p>\n

But for wool\u2019s potential to become reality, collection and handling from farm to industry must work economically. Experience from The Swedish Wool Initiative<\/a> shows that the payment for wool to the sheep farmer today often does not even cover the cost of shearing, nor the work required after shearing, such as sorting, storage and transport.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Lack of targeted financial support<\/h4>\n

The support that exists, F\u00e5rpengen<\/a> (called The Sheepmoney), is an animal welfare support scheme that does not compensate for the steps needed to bring wool into an industrial value chain. The result is that a large share of the wool \u2013 up to half \u2013 never reaches actors who can grade, collect and process it.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Today, it costs more to take care of the wool than you get paid for it. Then it becomes rational to let it go to waste. That\u2019s where politics needs to step in, says Johan Sidenmark, Axfoundation.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Practical political recommendations are now being presented<\/h4>\n

Project partners from The Swedish Wool Initiative<\/a>; Axfoundation, Arena Svensk Ull and Dalarna Science Park, now present five concrete political recommendations to strengthen the Swedish wool value chain. The recommendations form a comprehensive package intended to make Swedish wool profitable to use by strengthening the entire value chain. This includes a wool-handling support scheme for sheep farmers, investments and innovation to build the necessary infrastructure, clear demand signals through public procurement, and an extended producer responsibility that steers the market towards circular and bio-based materials.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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