Environmental

Environmental
Sustainability

Environmental sustainability sits at the core of our operating practices.
Every step in our journey has been planned to maintain a low environmental impact.
 
In our daily operations, we have demonstrated our commitment to environmental sustainability by
developing a world-leading environmentally friendly scouring process. This is achieved by:

Animal Welfare

We are committed to upholding the highest standards of animal welfare and are independently audited to verify that the welfare and care of animals is at best practice standards. WoolWorks is certified to the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS).

Decarbonisation

We are committed to reducing our emissions in line with climate science

As the only wool scouring company in New Zealand with a world-leading process, we are compelled to do our bit towards reducing the emissions from our activities and helping limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

During 2022 we committed to reducing our scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 46% by 2030 from a 2019 base year which has been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The SBTi is a partnership between several global, sustainability focussed NGOs and non-profit organisations who share the joint goal of mobilising the private sector to take action on climate change.

SBTI

We are already well on the way to achieving our short-term targets with several projects on our emissions reduction underway.

  • At the Washdyke site, we are currently installing an 8 MW electrode boiler to replace the existing coal-fired boiler which provides steam to our process. Once this project is completed, there will be zero coal use throughout the entire business which will lead to GHG emissions reductions of up to 12,000 tonnes per year (44% of our total footprint). The installation of this system will be completed in early 2023 with commissioning planned for March.
  • At the Awatoto site, we have plans to replace the existing natural gas-fired hot water boiler with a high temperature heat pump system. This fossil fuel free heat pump technology is highly efficient and will lead to GHG emissions savings up to 2050 tonnes per year (7% of our total footprint).
  • At all three sites, Awatoto, Clive, and Washdyke, we are planning several heat recovery and energy efficiency projects which will lead to even further GHG emissions reductions.

 

Shearing

Wool is removed from sheep by shearing. It is done for health reasons and does not harm the sheep. If a sheep gets cold, it’s a known fact they can double their pelt within hours.
 
Shearing is a highly skilled profession in New Zealand. Our shearers are trained to the highest standards in animal welfare and are historically ranked as the best in the world generally using the Godfrey Bowen shearing style. This technique sits the sheep in a very relaxed position while the wool is being removed by electric clippers called a hand piece.
 
Woolworks sponsors many elite shearing competitions such as the Golden Shears and Speed Shear events on an annual basis in support of the shearing industry.
 
New Zealand prides itself on a very high standard of farming, which is at world best levels. Animals are farmed ethically and professionally. Shearing is an essential element in animal husbandry to ensure the ongoing well-being and health of the animal.

Traceability

New Zealand law requires that all farming products have to be able to be traced back to the farm of origin. Our comprehensive records allow us to follow all wool from the farm of origin though to export deliveries.

New Zealand National Farm Assurance Programme

We are a member of the New Zealand National Farm Assurance Programme. NZFAP is an internationally recognised foundation for the meat and wool industry. It provides an independent and authentic production assurance standard for consumers. These standards include integrity, traceability, biosecurity, food safety, environmental sustainability and animal welfare.