Sustainability uplift report

Sustainability reporting for Australia’s red meat and wool industries is advancing to meet growing expectations for data transparency and impact reduction. A new data framework has been developed to integrate existing and emerging data sources, enhancing life cycle assessment (LCA) capability for beef, sheep meat, and wool. The framework introduced national-scale estimates of land use (LU) and land use change (sLUC) emissions and removals, expanded carbon footprint (CF) reporting, and delivered the first national freshwater consumption data for sheep products.

Results showed a 4.7% reduction in beef CF since 2020 and a 25.3% decline in beef herd emissions over 44 years. Sheep meat and wool CFs also fell by 7% since 2020. Land use results indicated that regenerating native vegetation is driving removals, particularly in sheep-producing regions. Freshwater use was estimated at 400 L/kg for beef and 145–520 L/kg for sheep products, showing modest reductions.

This project demonstrates major progress toward accurate, standard-aligned reporting. The framework provides a foundation for more frequent, automated, and transparent sustainability reporting across Australia’s red meat and wool industries.