Roadmap to make wool industry “nature-positive” launched
Promotional organisation The Woolmark Company has unveiled a new programme called Woolmark+, describing it as a roadmap for accelerating wool’s transition towards becoming a “nature-positive industry”.
It said its aim is to unite woolgrowers, supply chain and brands in ensuring a sustainable future for the wool industry.
“This emerges at a pivotal moment for the global fashion industry,” The Woolmark Company added, “which faces increasing demands to adopt sustainable practices amid regulatory and consumer pressure.”
In total the programme includes 13 separate practical initiatives for empowering nature regeneration, reducing carbon emissions and optimising productivity. These will help to accelerate low-impact production and promote circularity, while enhancing animal wellbeing and woolgrower livelihoods.
Each of the practical initiatives will have their own workflows. For example, there is one for methane emissions reduction in livestock, which will comprise nine separate research and development projects in an effort to identify effective strategies for reducing methane emissions from grazing sheep.
Another of the initiatives on the list will focus on connecting on-farm emissions reduction efforts with the sustainability programmes of clothing brands. Others have new systems for measuring on-farm environmental performance, biodiversity enhancement and an increase in the use of recycled wool as their main focus.
Image: The Woolmark Company
