New Tech-Forward Platform ZQRX Pushes for Regenerative Wool Across New Zealand

ZQRX, a collective focused on the sustainability of New Zealand wool, is building what it calls the first regenerative wool platform, Esha Chhabra reports for Forbes.

About 460 farms which sit across 3.7 million acres of land are part of this new initiative, hoping to offer greater traceability in what can be a convoluted global supply chain, Chhabra writes.

This winter, in collaboration with Actual, a US-based tech company offering ESG solutions, ZQRX wool launched a new platform that uses real-time metrics, machine learning, and user-friendly modelling to help growers and brands accurately plan, predict and improve their environmental, social and governance (ESG) outcomes.

John Brakenridge, CEO of The New Zealand Merino Company, says:

“At ZQRX, our definition of regenerative spans beyond one singular factor, such as carbon emissions or soil health. Our platform was designed to recognize the holistic nature of farming, with a unique, outcome-based approach that supports the wellbeing of the environment, animals, and people. To us, regenerative is a mindset of continuous improvement, it is not prescriptive or reliant on a specific set of practices, rather it is focused on the ability to achieve and validate ecological and social outcomes.”

Original article by Esha Chhabra, Forbes, March 29, 2022.