New Zealand partners celebrate ‘first regenerative wool platform’
17/02/2021
ZQRX, the “next evolution” of NZM’s ethical wool platform, includes the tenants of the original platform such as animal welfare and social responsibility, but adds an increased focus on environmental issues that directly reduce carbon emission and improve biodiversity, such as waste, water quality and soil health.
Regenerative farming practices represent a considerable opportunity to sequester (store) carbon and slow climate change, said the companies.
NZM CEO John Brakenridge said: “Through our carbon footprint work with our leading brand partners, and with support from the Ministry for Primary Industries, we know on-farm emissions represent approximately 60% of the emissions associated with woollen products and are our biggest opportunity to lower our impacts.
“ZQRX is an important and necessary evolution of our ethical wool program, ZQ. Through the adoption of regenerative practices that both store more carbon and emit less, we could reduce our on-farm emissions down to zero.”
The index rewards growers who are committed to regenerative agricultural practises, said Brakenridge: “ZQRX is the start of a global movement toward brands, businesses and growers working together to address critical global issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss. We dream of a day when all wool is farmed with regenerative practices.”
To generate a movement of this scale, merino wool-using brands Allbirds, icebreaker, and Smartwool are working collectively to support the ZQRX platform and address the immediate challenges of climate change. Icebreaker and Smartwool helped found the original ZQ platform 13 years ago, while Allbirds, which also sources ZQ ethical wool, will be the first fashion brand to label every item produced with its carbon footprint.
Greg Smith, Icebreaker brand president, said: “While there is no one solution to the climate challenges we face, the ZQRX platform empowers farmers to work with nature to improve continuously. It is one step we, collectively, as the world’s leading Merino wool brands, can take to change the world and leave the planet better off than we found it.”
See the upcoming edition of WSA, published later this month, for a deeper look at regenerative farming and its impact on the clothing industry, as well as a Dialogue with Julian Lings, sustainability manager at VF Corp, Icebreaker’s parent group.
NZM CEO John Brakenridge said: “Through our carbon footprint work with our leading brand partners, and with support from the Ministry for Primary Industries, we know on-farm emissions represent approximately 60% of the emissions associated with woollen products and are our biggest opportunity to lower our impacts.
“ZQRX is an important and necessary evolution of our ethical wool program, ZQ. Through the adoption of regenerative practices that both store more carbon and emit less, we could reduce our on-farm emissions down to zero.”
The index rewards growers who are committed to regenerative agricultural practises, said Brakenridge: “ZQRX is the start of a global movement toward brands, businesses and growers working together to address critical global issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss. We dream of a day when all wool is farmed with regenerative practices.”
To generate a movement of this scale, merino wool-using brands Allbirds, icebreaker, and Smartwool are working collectively to support the ZQRX platform and address the immediate challenges of climate change. Icebreaker and Smartwool helped found the original ZQ platform 13 years ago, while Allbirds, which also sources ZQ ethical wool, will be the first fashion brand to label every item produced with its carbon footprint.
Greg Smith, Icebreaker brand president, said: “While there is no one solution to the climate challenges we face, the ZQRX platform empowers farmers to work with nature to improve continuously. It is one step we, collectively, as the world’s leading Merino wool brands, can take to change the world and leave the planet better off than we found it.”
See the upcoming edition of WSA, published later this month, for a deeper look at regenerative farming and its impact on the clothing industry, as well as a Dialogue with Julian Lings, sustainability manager at VF Corp, Icebreaker’s parent group.
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