THE purity of Australian wool goods is being scrutinised by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission.
It comes after the discovery of fake products on sale in Queensland.
The sweeping investigation by the ACCC follows tests that revealed many locally made bedding items sold as pure wool, including mattresses, underlays and pillows, contained large quantities of polyester.
Also at stake is the integrity of the Woolmark logo - which has one of the highest brand recognitions worldwide - guaranteeing a garment or product is 100 per cent wool.
A small Queensland manufacturer, Gold Coast Wool, this week paid a $6600 penalty after being pursued by the ACCC for contravening consumer protection laws.
ACCC tests found wool doonas and underlays made in the small firm's Southport factory and sold mainly to Asian tourists wanting to take pure wool Australian souvenirs home, contained 42 per cent polyester.
The Woolmark logo, owned by Australia's 29,000 woolgrowers through the Australian Wool Innovation company, was falsely used by Gold Coast Wool to verify its products were pure.
Woolmark manager for Australia and New Zealand, Stephen Feighan, said the ACCC had alerted AWI to the fraud.
He said it was unusual to find fake wool products carrying Woolmark certification that were made in Australia.
"But, like any international brand, such as Nike or Chanel, consumers must have confidence in the quality of the product they are buying marked with our brand," Mr Feighan said.
"This is a global issue for us and we welcome any investigation, assistance or action the ACCC can help us with on this matter."
ACCC chairman Rod Sims said more serious action against some much bigger Australian companies selling wool doonas, underlays and car seat covers, based on similar fraudulent labelling and deception of consumers is likely to follow.
He said similar analysis of other Woolmark-labelled bedding products, some made by manufacturers that are household names, had found synthetic textile fibres mixed with the wool.
Federal Court prosecutions are being considered for infringements and breaches based on false and misleading advertising.
Mr Sims said the problem, first brought to the notice of the ACCC following complaints, seemed particularly prevalent in the tourist market.
He said it was critical tourists or anyone buying products marked as being made from pure Australian wool have confidence the labelling was accurate and honest.
"Misrepresentation of this nature undermine consumer confidence and warrants action," Mr Sims said.
"We do take this very seriously, and that is why we have broadened this inquiry; there are now some much larger manufacturers and companies in our sights."
Victorian woolgrower and national president of the Corriedale Sheep Association, Nick Cole, is furious that wool from sheep, such as his famed Stanbury Corriedale flock that ends up in bedding, carpet and curtain products, is being diluted and mislabelled.
"It's great the ACCC is busting these guys," Mr Cole said yesterday from his Camperdown property, West Cloven Hills.
"Farmers own the Woolmark and we have to protect the brand; this is nothing more than theft and fraud."
He said tourists had the right to get what they paid for.
Read more on The Australian.
