Lisa – Wool and social innovation in the Alps

Wool processing is a traditional activity in many mountain regions. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it underwent a certain industrialization, with trade becoming increasingly globalized. Today, industrial wool processing activities have almost completely disappeared from Western Europe, with the exception of a few specialized clusters, such as Biella in Italy’s Piedmont region.

At the same time, since the 1970s and more visibly since the 2000s, the valorization of wool has become the focus of a growing number of initiatives based on the dynamics of social innovation. The resource, still present in sheep-breeding regions, is of little lucrative interest, but remains rich in artisanal know-how, the (re)valorization of which is of interest to a growing number of players.

In this context, the project aims to :

• participate in the creation of a network of researchers interested in the links between the wool industry and territories in France and Europe, particularly in Italy.
• to show, in connection with the Transformont project, how a productive craft industry, based on a local resource, can contribute to territorial transitions “from below”, frequently mobilizing heritage resources.
• initiate an international comparison and collaboration between the French and Italian Alps, with regard to social innovation and its transformative capacities. In particular, by examining the place and function of heritage in transition processes, with a particular focus on Ecomuseums.

Also associated with this project are Pierre-Antoine Landel (Pacte) and Nazarena Lanza (Ecomuseo Valle Elvo e Serra ).