Wool not only from nature but for nature in new campaign push

One of Australia’s best known agricultural brands, the Woolmark, is undergoing the biggest revamp in its 60-year history. This is what you can expect.

One of Australia’s best known agricultural brands, the Woolmark, is undergoing the biggest revamp in its 60-year history.

Australian Wool Innovation on Tuesday announced a global launch of the revamped brand Woolmark+, which aims to promote the fibre as not only from, but for nature.

It’s a deliberate move to take wool growing away from associations to carbon/methane production to sustainability - both environmental and economic.

AWI chief executive officer John Roberts said there was a broad range of initiatives within the Woolmark+ roadmap focused on turning industry investment in environmental sustainability into tangible returns for wool growers.

“Woolmark+ highlights all the existing sustainable practices undertaken by Australian wool growers and provides opportunities that will deliver commercial advantages throughout wool’s value chain which will benefit wool growers,” Mr Roberts said.

“AWI is building on wool’s premium reputation and enabling global brands to better understand, value and support wool growers’ nature positive practices.

“It is designed to position wool as not simply a fibre ‘from’ nature, but as a fibre ‘for’ nature, driving industry-wide opportunities and positive environmental outcomes for future generations.”

The Woolmark+ brand is also designed to help in a lobbying for better outcomes for wool on the world stage.

“A key part of this roadmap is ensuring wool-growing practices are clearly understood by those developing standards and laws; particularly those who are developing policies that will shape the global textiles industry,” Mr Roberts said.

“It will enable brands to reliably source the wool they need - Woolmark+ aims to ensure tailored solutions are available at scale to meet the differing sustainability goals and strategies of brands.”

The promotional material for Woolmark+ states: “As a renewable, recyclable and biodegradable fibre created in nature, wool has sustainability at its core.”

“We know well-managed farms have a high carbon sequestration potential, providing significant opportunity for wool growers to play a leading role in decarbonising the fashion industry.”

Wool Producers Australia president Steve Harrison said anything that had the potential to boost wool prices was a good thing.

‘The measure will be whether the prices respond,” Mr Harrison said.