Integrity Ag visits the South African Mohair Industry

In collaboration with Integrity Ag, an Australian-based company, Mohair SA has embarked on a groundbreaking initiative: the inaugural Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for South Africa's Mohair industry.

The European Union has set a goal to reduce carbon emissions caused by the global textile industry by 45% by 2023. This is important because we've seen the harmful effects of climate change. Consumers and brands want to know that the products they buy are ‘sustainable’, and rating systems are being developed to help people make eco-friendly choices when they shop. Rating systems use a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to ‘rate’ textiles, communicating this to brands and, in the future, consumers.

Europe's Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) system is a significant rating system. It examines 16 factors to understand how products affect the environment, but not all factors are equally weighted. PEF aims to educate consumers about how products influence the environment, helping them make wiser shopping choices. Nonetheless, there are concerns about the effectiveness of the PEF approach, and some question if it's the right path forward.

For mohair, no information about the ‘life cycle’ impacts from production to garment is available. This study is an important first step in addressing that knowledge gap to prevent brands and consumers from using poor quality data not representative of the production system or industry to make decisions on fibre choices.

The project's initial phase studies on farm activities, from production to the farm gate. This requires the meticulous collection of on-farm samples and data from local farmers. Stephen Wiedemann and Emma Longworth, from Integrity Ag, recently travelled to a Karoo farm to meet the team responsible for on-farm sample collection. Their mission included training the team to adhere to the required standards.

In a collaborative effort, the NWGA (National Wool Growers' Association) has committed to participating in data and sample collections. This joint endeavour unites Mohair SA, Cape Wools, and Textile Exchange (RWS). Brett Walker of Longacre's farm generously offered to host the on-farm training and data collection sessions.

While in Port Elizabeth, Stephen and Emma visited several key industry players, including Gubb & Inggs, Stucken Yarns, Hinterveld, SAMIL Yarns, OVK, and House of Fibre. These visits provided valuable insights into the early-stage processing and the broader value chain within the sector.