Australian Wool Innovation receives funding towards reduced emissions for woolgrowers

A $4 million grant from the Federal Government to kickstart Australian Wool Innovation’s ground-breaking Australian Wool Industry Insetting Program has been announced as a welcomed injection into the recently unveiled Woolmark+ roadmap. AWI chief executive officer John Roberts said the financial hit would spearhead the marketing and research body and its subsidiary’s program’s move towards natural positive outcomes — connecting fashion and textile brands with Australian woolgrowers looking to reduce emissions through nature-based solutions. He said this industry-first initiative would develop and trial an insetting framework, aimed at enabling emissions reductions within the textile supply chain. “The strategic partnership between AWI, Pollination, and Landcare Australia creates a comprehensive approach to implement, report, and scale insetting to enable woolgrowers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through nature-based solutions on farm,” he said. Mr Roberts said Pollination was a global climate change investment and advisory firm dedicated to accelerating the transition to a net-zero, nature positive future. Launched in 2019, the organisation has a presence in 13 countries across the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific. The Pollination team includes global leaders in finance, investments, technology, business, law and policy. Harnessing the team’s diverse expertise, Pollination helps government, business, and public and private capital to navigate the climate transition, designing and investing in breakthrough ideas that deliver financial returns. Mr Roberts said the key element of the partnership would be the creation of a mechanism to facilitate the connection between global fashion and textile brands and woolgrowers with GHG emission reductions on Australian wool-growing properties, which in turn can reduce the brand’s scope three emissions within the value chain. “We want to offer woolgrowers an option and brands a solution that allows emissions reductions to remain within the textile supply chain,” he said. “Brands were increasingly seeking ways to address their scope three emissions, but scaling these efforts has been a challenge. “Insetting presents an exciting opportunity for brands to meet their emissions targets in a way that aligns with the science-based targets initiative while simultaneously supporting Australian woolgrowers — we’re grateful to the Australian government for their support of this game-changing initiative.” Mr Roberts said the project aimed to break down significant barriers woolgrowers face when engaging in environmental markets and reducing GHG emissions, including the lack of guidance on best practices, upfront capital, and market engagement. “By addressing these challenges, this initiative will provide woolgrowers with some of the tools needed to manage more than 65 million hectares of Australian land more sustainably, setting the stage for impactful emissions reductions across the wool value chain,” he said. Pollination director Lara Phillips said by supporting nature-based solutions such as environmental plantings and best-practice flock management, the AWI project would lay the foundation for scalable, high-integrity emissions reductions that deliver environmental and economic benefits for Australian woolgrowers. “Landcare Australia, a not-for-profit organisation driving improved environmental land management for more than 35 years, is excited about this groundbreaking project,” she said. Landcare Australian chief executive officer Dr Shane Norrish said by supporting woolgrowers to understand their opportunities in emerging environmental markets as well as providing on-ground implementation support for environmental plantings would help reduce emissions while increasing biodiversity within the wool value chain. The Australian wool industry’s Insetting Program is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust.