MARIETTA, GA.— Wools of New Zealand is extending the natural, sustainable attributes of wool to include the ethical practices of growers and the traceability back to source. The accreditation of these sustainable standards is embodied in a new fiber integrity brand called Laneve, which will make its debut at Surfaces 2010.

Wools of New Zealand is launching Laneve in partnership with 17 manufacturers and importers committed to sustainable excellence and the traceability of Laneve brand wool from farm to the finished product. These partners include Bellbridge, Bloomsburg, CH Designs, Creative Accents, Decorative Carpets, Fabrica, Glen Eden, J. Mish, Luzern, Masland, Prestige, Rodeo, Saxony, Silver Creek, Tisca Tiara, WeaveTuft and Woolshire.

“Carpets and rugs offered by these partners, co-branded with the Wools of New Zealand and Laneve brands, provide farm- to-floor accreditation that encompasses farming practices, animal welfare, sustainability, traceability and environmental standards along with the quality and performance of the finished product,” said Elise Demboski, executive director for Wools of New Zealand.

The wool organization is “celebrating Laneve, and the integrity it embraces, with new initiatives that will be launched at Surfaces 2010,” she added. “New training programs and innovative point-of-sales tools will be introduced, several CEU and training seminars will be presented, and new marketing brochures and materials will be made available to retailers.

“As a result of our purchase by Wool Partners International ( FCNews, Oct. 13/20, 2008),” noted Demboski, “Wools of New Zealand has become a fiber supplier. Through our export division, Bloch and Behrens, we sell wool directly from farms. This direct connection with farmers enables us to expand on the sustainable depth of the Wools of New Zealand brand, which is still a viable and highly recognized name, and means a carpet is made primarily of New Zealand wool and has passed numerous performance and quality tests to carry the Wools logo.

“Laneve is a companion brand that goes beyond the excellence of the product to attest to the sustainability and traceability of the wool itself,” she explained. “Products carrying the Laneve brand are made exclusively from wool that comes from farms that meet accredited integrity standards and are fully traceable from the farm all the way through, including the scourer, spinner, dyer and manufacturer.

“The accredited standards are not for the manufacturers,” said Demboski, “they are for the farmers. Our third party auditor is AsureQuality.”

Wools of New Zealand will also champion the creativity of all 20 of its exhibiting partners through its Fashion Dynamics competition to take place at Surfaces in Las Vegas. Retailers are invited to view the innovative submissions and vote for Best Laneve Brand product/color line and Best Wools of New Zealand Brand product/color line. All voters will receive a toy sheep to add to their Wools of New Zealand sheep collection, noted Demboski. Awards will be presented to the winning brand partners at a press event held at news the end of the second day of the show.

Wools of New Zealand has a total of over 30 partners, Demboski concluded. “Of that 30, 20 will be showing at Surfaces and will be part of our Fashion Dynamics competition. Seventeen of the 30 are inaugural Laneve partners (some of whom will be showing at Surfaces). The balance of the Wools of New Zealand’s partners are not participating in the accredited Laneve program at this time.”

For more information, call 770.649.7699.