Government support for Wool Carbon Alliance
The recently formed Wool Carbon Alliance (WCA), an Australian Wool Innovation initiative, has welcomed the Australian government’s decision to recognise the positive role farming and wool growing play in the carbon cycle and to support wool growers.
The WCA is recommending a global marketing strategy aimed at recognising wool as the fibre of choice for consumers looking to reduce global emissions. Underpinning this will be a research strategy that includes a complete wool life cycle analysis from paddock right through the wool pipeline to the consumer. Further recommendations include a database of scientific evidence to support the marketing of wool’s environmental credentials.
As wool comprises 50% carbon that has been captured and stored from the atmosphere, it is a natural carbon store. In 2008-09, Australian woolgrowers grew and exported 384 million kgs of greasy wool. Estimates suggest this equates to approximately 500 million kgs of CO2 equivalents that have been captured and stored from the atmosphere as each kilogram of greasy wool stores around 1.3 kgs of CO2.
“We applaud the federal government and opposition for taking this stance and look forward to opportunities that Australian woolgrowers may have in accessing on-farm carbon credits in our future carbon economy,” WCA chair Chick Olsson said.
“In addition to being a natural carbon store, wool is produced from a sustainable grassland system which itself has the capacity to store carbon. Combine this with woolgrowers’ ability to increase soil carbon by improved farming practices, and you have one of the most natural carbon capture systems on the planet,” Mr Olsson said.
“This is a prime example, backed up by WCA members, of where R&D and marketing are now aligned and working hand in glove for a better future; not just for woolgrowers and regional Australia, but for the planet and its inhabitants,’ Mr Olsson said.”
