The International Wool Secretariat (IWS) was formed in 1937 to promote the sale of wool on behalf of woolgrowers and review research carried out by independent bodies such as the Wool Industries' Research Association at Torridon, Headingley Lane, Leeds, England.[1]
IWS was formed by the Wool Boards of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and funded by levies on wool grown in those countries. Uruguay joined IWS in 1970.[1] The IWS was the overseas extension of the Australian Wool Corporation and eventually was merged into it.[2]
In 1997, IWS changed its name to The Woolmark Company.[3] Since 2007, the Woolmark Company has been a subsidiary of Australian Wool Innovation Limited (AWI), a nonprofit organization that conducts research, development and marketing along the global supply chain for Australian wool on behalf of approximately 60,000 woolgrowers that cooperatively fund the company.