Green hydrogen company, Hiringa Energy and Australian agricultural and pastoral enterprise, Sundown Pastoral Co have partnered to drive forward the next generation of decarbonised farming and agriculture in the northern NSW region after being awarded $35.8 million in funding from the NSW Government. Together, the two industry leaders will enhance the capacity of the world’s first Good Earth Cotton farm to produce climate-positive and traceable cotton.
The Good Earth Green Hydrogen and Ammonia (GEGHA) project involves the construction and operation of a renewable ammonia and green hydrogen production facility near Moree. The project will help farmers reduce the emissions associated with their outputs and enable them to meet consumer demand for low-carbon and sustainable produce.
The GEGHA project has been awarded $35.8 million in funding from the NSW Government’s Hydrogen Hubs Initiative, validating GEGHA’s position in the future of Australia’s thriving green hydrogen industry.
Hiringa Energy executive director of Australia, David Heard told Retailbiz, “As we grow our footprint in Australia, we’re proud of our joint venture which will provide Sundown Pastoral and other regional customers with pathways to deep reduction in life-cycle carbon emissions of their produce, via low-carbon fertiliser, and hydrogen as a replacement to diesel and LPG, both on-farm and on-road.
“Cotton has been the most consumed fibre in the textile industry since the 18th century, and fertiliser use in Australia is one of the key drivers of scope three emissions at farm.
“We anticipate the European Union’s Eco Design Strategy and the increasing number of companies in the USA committing to Science Based Targets will further drive the need for farming operations to adopt green fertiliser solutions such as that generated by the GEGHA project.
“Sundown Pastoral is setting a new precedent for the global retail market – their introduction of the climate positive Good Earth Cotton program, backed by FibreTrace traceability technology allows retailers to not only verify the source of the cotton, but connect to the associated primary impact data, and provide complete transparency through each stage of production from farm to consumer.
“As the textile industry’s carbon emissions become more closely monitored and regulated, the opportunity for renewable ammonia and hydrogen products — and the resulting low-carbon traceable cotton — will surge.
“Sundown Pastoral Co’s traceable and climate positive Good Earth Cotton can be sold to major retailers as a pathway to meet decarbonisation goals. The retail and cotton markets are evolving with growing commitment to environmental, social and corporate governance. Alongside Sundown Pastoral Co, our joint GEGHA project provides a credible pathway for retailers to transition to low emission textiles, starting with cotton.”