Wool: Emissions
Why wool's footprint depends on sharing with meat
Why wool's footprint depends on sharing with meat What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint of the commodity at a global level, split by lifecycle phase: extraction (or farming), refining and processing, movement, usage, and recycling or end of life. Intensities are per unit of product; the global total combines intensity with world output. Also covers other environmental impacts and the main levers to cut emissions.Per kg of greasy wool at farm gate (cradle-to-farm-gate, with flock emissions split between wool and meat). Intensity: Wiedemann et al. 2016, Journal of Cleaner Production; IWTO summaries (indicative). Global total: FAOSTAT 2024; Wiedemann et al. 2016.
Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | nearly all of the farm-gate total | – | enteric methane from sheep, manure N2O, pasture fertiliser | Enteric methane is the dominant source. Pastoral flocks with low wool yields per head, as in India and Central Asia, have higher emissions per kg. | Wiedemann et al. 2016; FAO GLEAM (indicative) |
| Refining / processing | small next to the farm stage | – | scouring (hot water, detergent), combing, spinning, dyeing; mostly on coal-heavy Chinese power | Scouring also produces wastewater and lanolin, a by-product. | qualitative (indicative) |
| Movement | about 0.08-0.16 kg CO2/kg Sydney to Shanghai by container (calculated, indicative) | – | container shipping of bales | About 7,800 km at 10-20 g CO2 per t-km. | calculated; IMO 2020 order of magnitude (indicative) |
| Usage | often lower than for other fibres | – | washing and drying | Wool garments are typically washed less often and worn longer (indicative). | IWTO (indicative) |
| Recycling / end of life | not quantified | – | mechanical recycling into shoddy yarn; biodegrades in soil | Panipat (India) and Prato (Italy) recycle used woollens; no reliable recycling rate is published. | content_v2 wool stocks |
Other environmental impacts
Overgrazing and land degradation in pastoral areas; scouring effluent; mulesing is an animal welfare issue for Australian Merino.
Levers to cut emissions
- Higher wool cut and lambing rates per ewe, which spread methane over more product
- Feed additives and breeding for lower methane (early stage, indicative)
- Better grazing management to store soil carbon
- Renewable energy and water recycling in scouring plants
- Expand recycling in Panipat and Prato
India
India's 74 million sheep produce only 34.6 million kg of mostly coarse wool a year, so methane per kg of wool is high, though most flock emissions are attributed to meat (DAHD 2019 census and 2024-25 survey; indicative). Panipat's recycling cluster cuts the need for virgin wool.
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.