Woolmark launches new programme to help brands progress on sustainability targets

Woolmark, the company that stands as the global authority on wool and promotes it as the ultimate natural fibre, has today launched Woolmark+, a new ‘nature positive’ programme that will help brands and retailers progress on their sustainability targets.

Consisting of 13 science-based initiatives intended to advance regeneration, reduce emissions and increase productivity, the intention is to support partners across the entire supply chain.

Woolmark CEO, John Roberts, said: "Woolmark+ helps brands make progress on sustainability targets and a lasting, positive impact on the environment, biodiversity, and climate resilience.

"By taking up one or more Woolmark+ opportunities, brands can scale their impact, improve transparency, and measure performance as they move forwards on their sustainability journey."

All brands are facing pressure to reduce their GHG emissions, and by participating in initiatives like Woolmark’s new ‘Carbon Insetting Program’ they can partner with wool growing farms to drive carbon emissions reduction and carbon storage, "giving them access to verified environmental market transactions directly from their wool supply".

That reduces Scope 3 emissions and allows them to make verified claims on Scope 3 reduction for their business and products.

Other initiatives like the ‘Nature Positive Farming Specification’ are designed to help brands more easily source wool supply from farms that are measuring their nature positive, regenerative practices.

Roberts added: "In collaboration with Farming for the Future and La Trobe University, we have developed science-based, practical, and cost-effective metrics to measure trends in environmental performance on wool farms that truly reflect the complex and variable environments.

"By improving the credibility of nature positive and regenerative claims and harmonising the measurements used across third-party certifiers, this can increase the availability of desired wool for brands."

Another of the initiatives is Woolmark Recycled, a new sub-brand highlighting wool as the industry's most recycled fibre.