The Campaign for Wool has announced that Peter Ackroyd has succeeded Sir Nicholas Coleridge at its chairman with immediate effect. 

It comes as Coleridge steps down after 14 years to focus on his new role as provost of Eton College and chair of Historic Royal Palaces. 

Ackroyd was formerly COO of the non-profit organisation and has been with it since 2009 “following a successful textile career spanning some 50 years”. During that career he was president of the International Wool Textile Organisation, and global strategic advisor for Australian Wool Innovation/Woolmark Company. 

He’s said to have “worked tirelessly in wool since the 1970’s on business development, the rollout of key wool research and innovation projects, and marketing and the promotion of yarns and fabrics worldwide”.

The organisation said that Ackroyd “will lend his considerable knowledge of the international wool sector to navigate the complex issues looming in the industry. He will collaborate closely with the IWTO on the challenge wool faces with the European Union’s Environmental Footprint (PEF) legislation.

“This methodology has the potential to underpin the recognised green claims, labelling wool as part of new legislation forming part of the EU’s new Digital Product Passports set to launch in 2026. The new framework does not adequately address critical environmental factors, including microplastic pollution, the renewability and biodegradability of natural fibres and the full environmental footprint of fossil fuel-based fibres”.