Letter from the chair

As we rapidly approach the end of the financial year, the Sheep Sustainability Framework Steering Group has begun preparations for its next Annual Report.

A key part of this report will be considering the Framework’s updated materiality assessment. Materiality is the process by which we identify the top priorities in the broader conversation that is sustainability. This helps us to amend and adapt the SSF’s reporting so that it reflects the key issues facing industry. An article with more detail on this process is included in this edition.

Certainly, this year, there has been an increasing focus on key topics such as labour, greenhouse gas emissions and the economic resilience of our industry, and you’ll see these reflected in our Annual Report.

I was fortunate to attend the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress last month. Sustainability was, one again, a strong theme of the conference. In fact, the strongest message on sustainability from Australia was the threat to international wool supply if growers are not sufficiently rewarded to stay in wool. There were interesting presentations too on more accurate treatment of wool in life cycle analyses, which could make a huge difference to wool’s competitiveness against synthetic fibres.

Finally, we also welcome some new faces to the SSF – with Angus Hobson and Elizabeth Jackson joining the Board and Emma Foster-Geering and Molly Greentree joining the Steering Group. Each bring their own unique perspective and skillsets to the Framework and I look forward to working with each of them.