Sustainability
60 years growing with Australia
Sustainability means ensuring cotton meets industry needs without compromising people and the planet.
Sustainability goes beyond our environment. We have to consider our social & governance performance
That’s where the ESG materiality assessment came in. In late 2022, we conducted this assessment that looked at Environment, Sustainability and Governance. This allowed us to identify areas of opportunity where we could make real improvement.
We’re uniquely placed to lead innovation in the cotton industry in terms of environmental impact and sustainability. Working closely with Cotton Australia, we’ve developed a vision for the industry.
We're making changes that support our industry and the planet well into the future
The cotton industry is working together on a roadmap for the future — it’s a Planet. People. Paddock framework: Cotton Australia | Sustainability Reports. We are looking at ways to collaborate with the broader industry to increase our collective impact and support Australia to become a global leader in sustainable cotton production.
How Namoi Cotton is making a real impact in the industry.
We're aligned with Cotton Australia's 'Planet. People. Paddock.' framework.
Sustainability and Traceability in action: FibreTrace
Sustainability and Traceability in action: FibreTrace
Namoi Cotton and Sundown Pastoral Company are partners in the Wathagar Ginning Company.
Using FibreTrace®, a physical tracer connected to a blockchain-based traceability platform, Sundown Pastoral company’s goal was to enable the traceability of their cotton lint bales to provide honest ESG requirements for their Good Earth Cotton® brand to the downstream supply chain.
Both companies recognised the need for greater transparency in the cotton supply chain to provide customers with greater visibility into the origin and journey of their cotton products.
The cotton supply chain is complex, with multiple stakeholders involved in the production, processing, and transportation of cotton. This complexity makes it difficult to track the origin and journey of cotton from the farm to the finished product.
Issues with compliance and risk management for the downstream supply chain, along with consumer trust and damage to brand reputation, are all challenges for stakeholders.
To address these challenges, Sundown Pastoral Company, The Wathagar Gin and Namoi Cotton became Australian early adopters of the FibreTrace® technology — allowing the end-user to scan the final product to track and receive full visibility of the finished product all the way through.
Here's how it works
The FibreTrace® research team worked alongside the team at Wathagar Gin to develop a machine that blends the FibreTrace® patented tracer fibre into each cotton bale at a blending rate of less than 0.01% (an average cotton bale weighs 227kg). This process introduces a unique, traceable signature into each bale of cotton. This enables information tracing from the origins of the cotton, the date it is ginned, its GPS location, the compliance officers’ identification, and its journey through the supply chain.
After this innovative process, Sundown Pastoral Company is responsible for selling the bales, coordinating the mills, and negotiating the retail cost with customers. The FibreTrace® technology has allowed customers to track each bale of cotton as it moves from the farm to the gin and beyond.
This joint venture between The Wathagar Ginning Company and Sundown Pastoral Company using FibreTrace® has been a big success. It has the potential to be used to improve transparency and traceability in the supply chain for all Namoi Cotton-affiliated growers.
Gin
At the gin, a fibre with a luminescent pigment is embedded into cotton bales by the FibreTrace machine.
Fabric Mill
The yarn is scanned on arrival at the fabric mill. Once the fabric is woven, it's scanned again for the blockchain's records.
Spinning Mill
Raw cotton is sent to the spinning ill here it's scanned to verify its origin. It then becomes yarn and is scanned prior to shipping.
Factory
That yarn is then scanned on arrival at the garment factory. Once the end product is finalised, it's scanned and recorded again.
Full Traceability
Each FibreTrace verified product features QR codes on their labels. Consumers can scan these and view the entire product journey.
60 years growing with Australia.
Namoi Cotton is Australia’s largest cotton ginning organisation. We’re proud of our 60 years growing with Australia.