Promoting wool’s benefits over plastic

Wool on show at famous Parisian department store 

The Woolmark display at the Printemps department store. 

Woolmark has partnered with the No More Plastic foundation as part of a 2½ month pop-up display at the famous Printemps Haussmann luxury department store in Paris, showcasing wool as a natural alternative to synthetic fibres. 

Printemps Haussmann is an iconic department store in downtown Paris that attracts 1.83 million shoppers every month. The No More Plastic foundation, a not for profit organisation with a mission to prevent plastic/microplastic pollution and promote sustainable alternatives, teamed up with Printemps in April to highlight plastic-free fashion solutions. 

A pop up display was installed at the front of the store, at which Woolmark highlighted to shoppers wool and its premium, natural benefits. The display was launched on 22 April to coincide with Earth Day and ran until early July. 

Products from two of Woolmark’s partners were incorporated in the display: Merino wool swim shorts from iconic French swimwear brand Vilebrequin, and Circle Sportswear’s SuperNatural Runner which have an upper and tongue crafted from 65% Merino wool. Both products are available to purchase at Printemps. As part of the display, Woolmark also showcased different categories of wool from the raw fibre through to wool top. 

As part of the initiative, Woolmark also took part in sustainability-focused talks to highlight the natural, renewable and biodegradable benefits of wool. The eco-credentials of wool were amplified across the partners’ digital and social media. 

“The initiative placed wool front and centre of shoppers’ minds and educated them about wool’s eco credentials, highlighting that unlike synthetic fibres wool readily biodegrades and does not contribute to plastic and microplastic pollution,” said AWI Regional Manager Western Europe, Damien Pommeret. 

 “The project provided Woolmark with a great opportunity to align with No More Plastic, a foundation that shares our own values in highlighting more eco conscious consumption, as well as help Woolmark build a productive and enduring relationship with the iconic retailer Printemps.” 

Wear Wool, Not Waste film wins gold award in Paris 

Woolmark winning the gold award at the Deauville Green Awards film festival. 

Woolmark’s Wear Wool, Not Waste campaign film in June won the gold award in the conscious consumption category at the Deauville Green Awards, an international film festival dedicated to environmentally and socially responsible audiovisual productions. 

Held in Paris, the event brings together hundreds of international films and key industry professionals for screenings, round tables and masterclasses. Woolmark’s campaign film received a very positive reception amongst attendees. 

The Wear Wool, Not Waste campaign’s 60-second hero film shows people in a city rushing to escape a massive ‘zombie invasion’ of old synthetic clothes, representing synthetic apparel that remains polluting the planet long after they have been discarded.  

Importantly, the campaign also highlighted that wool has unparalleled advantages due to it being natural, renewable, biodegradable and the most recycled apparel fibre – and therefore a solution to reducing the fashion industry’s impact on the planet.  

There have been more than 68 million views of the campaign film worldwide, which is almost double the target of 36 million views. Watch the film at www.woolmark.com/wear-wool.  

Beyond the official competition for professionals, the Deauville Green Awards was also an event for the public. Woolmark participated in a roundtable discussion on the topic of ‘Fast Fashion: problems and solutions’ with key industry figures and influencers. Woolmark Regional Manager Western Europe, Damien Pommeret, was on the panel along with President of the French Federation of Women's Ready-to-Wear, Yann Rivoallan, and Claire Latour who we co-wrote and starred in the documentary Shein, Investigation into the Fast Fashion Giant, broadcast on France TV. 

“Woolmark’s Wear Wool, Not Waste campaign has proved an effective way to promote wool over fast fashion synthetic fibres. It has reshaped consumer perception about synthetics and wool, helping make fabric choice a crucial part of sustainable fashion decisions,” Damien said. 

The campaign has also won other prestigious international awards including the gold award in the creative category at The Drum Awards for Marketing in June. 

This article appeared in the Spring 2025 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine that was published in September 2025. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.