Green Awards Archives - The Drinks Business

What they won and why: The DB Green Awards 2024

Patrick Schmitt — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 10:31:07 +0000

Yesterday afternoon at a packed Home House in central London, we revealed the recipients of the drinks business Green Awards 2024 – and here is a rundown of who won what, and why.

The event saw the green-minded great and good of the international drinks trade gather together to find out this year’s winners of what is still the only set of industry gongs for all that’s both eco-friendly and alcoholic. In fact, The Green Awards represent the culmination of a long-running eco-focus at db, which started with our ‘ivy-clad’ green issue in 2007, which was repeated in 2008, before being followed up with a ‘green list’ in 2009 – a ranking of the most powerful environmental figures in the global drinks trade, representing the first rundown of its type. Having attracted much interest and comment, the next year, in 2010, we launched The Green Awards, which we have run every year since, adding new categories to reflect changes within sustainable drinks production, marketing, retailing and shipping. Today, 15 years since their launch, we have as many as 13 categories in The Green Awards, covering the likes of biodiversity, renewable energy, water management, as well as the logistics, packaging, and retailing of drinks – along with our big awards, such as those for the most sustainable business, the greenest company of the year, and our Green Personality Award. Read on to find out about this year’s winners in our full report on The Green Awards 2024.

Best Logistics and Supply Chain Green Initiative for 2024

Winner: Direct Wines for WinePact This "fantastic tool" created entirely in-house by Direct Wines to help businesses in the wine supply chain calculate and track their sustainability goals wowed the judges. Calling it "a really solid piece of work that shows authority and is intuitive and easy to use", the panel liked the fact that supplier feedback will be used to craft 'version 2' of the tool, showing "a willingness to collaborate and adapt". Commendation: VinLog for its biofuel solution The judges were impressed by VinLog's investment in advanced biofuels, which it began in earnest in March 2023 but is now starting to show the fruits of its labour. They said the initiative, which uses non-toxic, biodegradable and reusable fuel made from waste feedstocks and vegetable oils, is "integrated throughout the business' whole structure".

Green Launch of the Year

Winner: Gipsy Hill for its World First Carbon Negative Beers Without Offsets Despite strong competition from across the drinks sector, it was a pair of new beers from South London’s Gipsy Hill Brewing that took home the award for Best Green Launch of 2024. Called Swell and Trail, the draft beers claim to be the ‘world’s first carbon negative beers without offsets’, achieving a Carbon Dioxide equivalent (CO2e) footprint of -30g and -40g per pint respectively, compared to standard pints which are more than 350g per pint. The judges were especially impressed by “the drastic reduction” that this represented, the “trailblazing” approach, albeit from a small brewer, as well as the company’s shift to using barely that is grown regeneratively. Shortlist:

Emiliana Organic Vineyards for their Eco Balance Organic Low Alcohol, Low Calories and Zero Sugar
Gipsy Hill for its World First Carbon Negative Beers Without Offsets
One to One by Oxford Landing
Stone VIK
Tread Softly

Organic Initiative of the Year

Winner: Domaine Bousquet for their 'Composting Excellence' project Our judges felt strongly that this award must go to someone for doing "more than converting to organic". They said that Domaine Bousquet has gone "above and beyond" with their composting initiative, which has so far seen 910,000kg composted, with the producer poised to roll the project out across its growers in Gualtallary. One judge said that with such a good initiative you would "expect big companies in Argentina to follow suit."

Renewable Energy Implementation Award

Winner: Perelada Wowing the judges was a Spanish wine company with a new LEED certified winery in Empordà, which not only maxims natural light but employs 100% renewable energy to power its needs. This involves a wide range of sources, from a geothermal system, which includes 331 underground piles, to solar panels too, and, finally, aerothermal energy as well, for when additional energy is required.

Water Management Award

Winner: Sogrape “Comprehensive” and “effective”, as well as “innovative”, were just some of the descriptions used to commend Sogrape’s water saving measures across this Portuguese producer’s wineries. With a strategy focused on reducing consumption, as well as optimizing irrigation, along with reusing water, and employing advanced technologies to conserve and treat water, the business was deemed a worthy winner of this year’s Water Management Award. Particularly impressing the judges was Sogrape’s new wastewater treatment plant at its Quinta do Sairrão in Portugal’s Douro region. Following upgrades, the system now incorporates the METLAND system, which uses microbial electrochemical processes to degrade pollutants with minimal energy consumption. Such efficiency savings are not only good for water recycling but carbon emissions too. Shortlist:

Bodega Ribera del Cuarzo
Casa Relvas
Encirc
Perelada
Sogrape

The Amorim Sustainability Award

Winner: Domaine Bousquet Representing a textbook approach of how to run a sustainable business, Argentina’s Domaine Bousquet wowed our judges in this year’s awards. With a clear, green-minded vision, and easy-to-read accounting of all its achievements, no-one could find fault with this wine producer. “Everything was covered, measured and reported, with real progress in evidence,” said one judge, with another admitting that this was the most comprehensive account of sustainable business practices they had yet seen. Already one of the most certified wineries in the world, most recent successes include gaining B-corp status and becoming Regenerative Organic Certified. Making Domaine Bousque this year’s winner in particular was its release of an inaugural Sustainability Impact Report in April 2024, which was praised for its exceptional transparency and “naked approach.” Runner-up: Emiliana Organic Vineyards The judges wanted to recognise Emiliana Organic Vineyards for coming such a close second to our winner. This Chilean producer has long been a beacon of organic wine production, but is now going further with energy-saving initiatives. Commendation: Casa Relvas Renewable energy, biodiversity preservation, native cork planting, water recycling, organic viticulture, staff training and community support are just some of the measures that are being practised by Portgual’s Casa Relvas. And, this family-owned business is proving financially sustainable too, making it in environmentally-friendly, community-minded business with strong commercial acumen too. Shortlist:

Casa Relvas
Domain Bousquet
Emiliana Organic Vineyards
Ferrari Trento
Trivento Bodegas y Viñedos
VIK

The Amorim Biodiversity Award

Winner: Vergelegen Estate While there are many green-minded aspects to the running of Vergelegen’s vast South African estate – from water to energy self-sufficiency – it is the management of its near 2,000-hectare reserve that wowed the judges. Following the clearing of alien vegetation and extensive replanting of native tree species, the property has seen the emergence and proliferation of many endangered species, from bontebok to Burchell’s zebra. As for its vineyards, to protect biodiversity, it has been pioneering here too. Vergelegen is a world leader in combating grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3), the main cause of leafroll disease, spread by mealybugs. To do this, the estate has shifted to biological controls employing predatory indigenous insects, which are dispersed by drone over vineyards. The first stage is predatory wasps, attracted by a pheromone released by female mealybugs, followed by ladybugs, which eat the mealybugs. Commendation: Emiliana Organic Vineyards Although not a winner in this category, the judges wanted to recognise this Chilean producer for creating a protected biodiversity hotspot that now covers 30% of its estate, while also promoting species richness within its organic and biodynamic vineyards with regenerative farming practices. Shortlist:

Emiliana Organic Vineyards
Familia Torres
Sogrape
Te Kano Estate
Vergelegen Estate

The Amorim Special Award

Winner: Emiliana Organic Vineyards Building on an impressive 26 years of organic agriculture, fairtrade wine production and biodynamic vineyard practices is Chile’s Emiliana with a new initiative. Launched in 2024 with planned actions until 2030, it aims to make this beacon of sustainable drinks production even greener in three key areas. One of these concerns viticulture, as Emiliana moves to getting certified biodynamic and regenerative organic; while at the same time promoting research to keep organic growing. The second pillar is titled 'planet protection', which is focused on reducing Emiliana’s carbon footprint by moving to 100% renewable electricity, while improving biodiversity and turning all its packaging to reusable, recyclable or compostable materials. The third pillar is 'people and society', which is focused on human development, with Emiliana going further on its ethical initiatives, as a longstanding Fairtrade wine producer, and, since 2023, a B-Corp certified company. It’s due to this clear and worthy roadmap that Amorim chose to award Emiliana a ‘special award’ in the hope this green-minded business might prove a beacon for others.

The Ethical Award

Winner: Bosman Family Vineyards Two words in particular kept cropping up from our judges with regards to this South African producer - "inspiring" and "transformative". Since 2008 Bosman has offered its farm workers a 26% stake in the business (the largest land reform deal to take place in SA thus far) but Bosman is now in "the final stages" of a government application to increase this to 34.5%. All about empowering the community through shared ownership in the company, and therefore shared prosperity, making the wine industry a more viable and attractive prospect for future generations and communities.

The Green Packaging Award

Winner: The Wine Society for its permanent range of flat PET bottles The judges were agreed that this year’s award should go to The Wine Society for its "brave decision" to make a permanent addition to its wine range of four flat PET bottles. The judges were especially impressed that The Wine Society has chosen to bottle its best-selling wine in PET, underlining its commitment to the format and applauded that its wines bottled in PET were cheaper for the end consumer, demonstrating that sustainable practices don't always come with a premium. Commendation: Lanchester Wines for the First Super Lightweight 300g Wine Bottle The judges decided to commend Lanchester Wines for the creation of a "very impressive" super lightweight 300g glass bottle for Aldi's Koolibarra Sauvignon Semillon, which they said was clearly in response to consumer demand, and given the number of Aldi stores in the UK would be seen by countless consumers.

Green Retailer of the Year

Winner: The Wine Society It was a close battle, but in the end, one retailer stood out for its remarkable, green-focused achievements in the past 12 months. Among these were the launch of a ‘sustainability hub’ to support wine producers; a move to solar-power for operations – providing over half of its current energy needs – and a 62% reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions in the past three years. Added to this is a major bottle light-weighting initiative, and much more, including educational workshops on a range of topics, such as the benefits of a regenerative approaches to viticulture. Commendation: Laithwaites Very much deserving of a commendation in 2024 was Laithwaites, which has continued to progress in many areas, from encouraging its suppliers to protect soils and wildlife, as well as reducing packaging weights, to improving energy efficiency at this mail-order retailer’s facilities, while moving to renewables for powering warehousing. Adding to this is its brilliant WinePact, which allows users to calculate their carbon footprint and track their progress relative to industry benchmarks.

O-I: Expressions Green Company of the Year (wine / spirits)

Winner (wine): Adega do Ataíde Impressing the judges sufficiently for them to declare it Wine Company of the Year for 2024 was Adega do Ataíde, primarily due to a new winery for its extensive Douro estate, which is owned by Symington Family Estates – a Port and wine producer with a strong ethical and environmental bent. Notably, this recently-completed building is LEED certified, an acronym that stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. And it has achieved ‘Gold’ rating, which as one of judges said, means puts it among “just a handful of buildings” in the world. “It is a huge achievement”, said another judge, commenting that such an approach “should be inspire others: this is the type of project other wineries should look to”. But that wasn’t the only development that made this our winner this year. With a glass light-weighting programme and an investment in photovoltaic panels, the estate has also made a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, making its 100% organic vineyards the source of low-impact wines for the world. Winner (spirits): Chivas Brothers In an exciting and pioneering development, Chivas Brothers has successfully applied Mechanical Vapour Recompression (MVR) technology to the whisky distillation process at its Glentauchers distillery. This means it is able to capture and recycle heat generated in the distillation process that would otherwise go to waste. Not only is this an industry first, but it is available to anyone, meaning that other distillers should benefit from this successful trial. Described by the judges as a “ground-breaking piece of work” that “could have a huge impact on the Scotch whisky industry”, it was felt that Chivas Brothers were a worthy recipient of 2024’s award for Spirits Company of the Year. With the new technology helping the Pernod Ricard-owned facility reduce total energy consumption almost by half (48%), it has resulted in a 53% decrease in the site’s total carbon emissions. With this, Chivas Brothers has made significant headway towards its commitment to becoming carbon neutral in distillation by the end of 2026. Commendation (wine): Laithwaites The judges wanted to highly commend Laithwaites for its WinePact initiative, which allows producers to calculate their carbon footprint, as well as set targets and compare their performance to benchmarks for their sector. This impressive service sets a new standard among retailers striving to help green the production of drinks. As one judge said, implying lessons from Laithwaites might encourage a wider greening of the trade, “Let’s hope other retailers will sit up and listen”. Shortlist:

Adega do Ataíde
Chivas Brothers
Domaine Bousquet
Emiliana Organic Vineyards
Gonzales Byass
Laithwaites
Voyager Estate

Green Personality of the Year

Winner: Sebastián Tramon (head of sustainability at Emiliana Organic Vineyards) This year, the judges chose to reward an "outlier" among the applicants, giving the green personality accolade to Sebastián Tramon, head of sustainability for Chilean wine company Emiliana. The panel felt there was something "extremely human" about him, and that he had been "in the thick of the storm at every level" regarding sustainability and the fight against climate change. Having previously worked for Greenpeace and the National Foundation for Poverty Alleviation before joining Emiliana 10 years ago, the judged called him "an impressive individual" who "lives and breathes the environment" and whose passion and enthusiasm for his work is evident. One judge added that "being inspiring to others can be a great achievement in and of itself".

About our partners

The Green Awards 2024 was delighted to be conducted with the generous support of the the following partners:

Portuguese cork producer Amorim
UK Champagne and fine wine importer Pol Roger Portfolio
Glass bottle manufacturer, O-I Glass

The drinks business is also grateful to our eco-minded organic producers for the drinks at the ceremony, which came from:

Bodegas Marques de Caceres - Rioja Reserva
Leoube – Provençal Rosé
Voyager Estate – Margaret River Chardonnay
Vina Emiliana – Amaluna sparkling wine and Animalia orange wine
Domaine Bousquet – Argentine Malbec

Finally, the drinks business is exceptionally grateful to our exacting judges, who are listed below: Andrew Shaw Anita Jackson Anne Burchett Anne Jones Antony Moss MW Ben Smith Beth Kelly MW Beverley Blanning Chris Stroud Clem Yates MW Daniela Mateus Fiona Campbell Jonathan Pedley MW Muriel Chatel Phillip Tutt Rebecca Murphy Tom Owtram Tom Cookman

The Drinks Business Green Awards shortlist 2024

Sarah Neish — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 11:57:00 +0000

Our judging panel, made up of key players in the worlds of drinks and sustainability, have whittled down this year’s haul of impressive entries. We are proud to reveal the shortlist for db‘s Green Awards 2024. Now in its 15th year, the Green Awards celebrates the drinks companies that are going above and beyond to reduce their impact on the environment. Below, you’ll find all the companies that have been shortlisted for this year’s awards, except for a few special categories, the winners of which will be revealed at a live ceremony held in November. Among these categories to be announced on the day are Green Personality of the Year, Best Organic Initiative, Green Packaging of the Year and Logistics and Supply Chain Initiative. The drinks business is grateful to our brilliant line-up of partners for the Green Awards 2024, which include leading Portuguese cork producer Amorim; UK Champagne and fine wine importer Pol Roger Portfolio and glass container manufacturer O-I. If you would like to attend the awards ceremony then please register your interest by emailing charlotte.pike@unionpress.co.uk.

O-I: Expressions Green Company of the Year

Laithwaites
Voyager Estate
Gonzales Byass
Domaine Bousquet
Emiliana Organic Vineyards
Adega do Ataíde
Chivas Brothers

Amorim Biodiversity Award

Emiliana Organic Vineyards
Te Kano Estate
Vergelegen Estate
Familia Torres
Sogrape

Amorim Sustainability Award

Domaine Bousquet
Ferrari Trento
Emiliana Organic Vineyards
Trivento Bodegas y Viñedos
Casa Relvas
Vik

Best Green Launch

STONE VIK
One to One by Oxford Landing
Tread Softly
World First Carbon Negative Beers Without Offsets by Gipsy Hill
Eco Balance Organic Low Alcohol, Low Calories and Zero Sugar by Emiliana Organic Vineyards

Water Management Award

Bodega Ribera del Cuarzo
So Grape
Perelada
Encirc
Casa Relvas

Thank you to our sponsors

The top green drinks companies of the last five years

Michael Huband — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 09:02:56 +0000

As we take entries for The Drinks Business Green Awards 2024, db surveys recent groundbreaking recipients of Green Company of the Year.

Green Company of the Year is always one of the most hotly contested categories at The Drinks Business Green Awards. As a means of recognising the wide-reaching impact of a company, it is one of the clearest indicators that a business has committed to its goals. The award recognises a company which has ‘improved its own direct impact on the surrounding environment and promoted this effectively to a wider audience, whether trade or consumer facing’. It is always a highlight of the exclusive awards ceremony. This year, O-I Glass sponsors the prestigious award. According to Melianthe Leeman, the company’s global marketing director for wines and spirits: “At O-I Glass, we are passionate to create a more sustainable drinks industry, as shown by our eco-designed Estampe wine bottle and lightweight Contemporary Collection for spirits. As we actively advance glass packaging sustainability and decarbonise our own production, including recent investment plans for the UK and France, we are delighted to celebrate the Green Company of the Year at the Drinks Business Green Awards.” Entries are open for a further month in this, and all categories, at The Drinks Business Green Awards 2024. In the meantime, db looks back at the companies that took the prestigious award at the last five ceremonies.

2019 - Pernod Ricard Winemakers

Spring has probably sprung... somewhere! Cheers to the new season #LiveUncorked #CampoViejo pic.twitter.com/53YenfvdSp
— Campo Viejo (@CampoViejoWines) February 21, 2020

Pernod Ricard Winemakers scooped the top gong by demonstrating that it was implementing its green initiatives across all areas of the company, down to individual employees. With wine brands spanning Australia, New Zealand, Spain and the US, including Jacob’s Creek and Campo Viejo, the wine giant demonstrated its green credentials in all four nations. Among its achievements, it moved to 100% renewable electricity in Australia – the first wine company of its size in the country to do so. In New Zealand, it helped to restore over 10 hectares of native wetlands in Marlborough, while at Kenwood Vineyards in Sonoma, the winey donated over $100,000 towards reforestation efforts after 2017’s devastating wildfires. Across the pond in Europe, Campo Viejo was the first winery in Spain to obtain the Wineries for Climate Protection certificate. These were in addition to wide-reaching initiatives, such as a company-wide ban on plastic straws. The judges felt the entry offered “the best of both worlds” – local thinking with a global reach. The judges also gave a commendation to Concha y Toro.

2020 - Jackson Family Wines

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A post shared by Jackson Family Wines (@jacksonfamilywines)

Our judges praised this company’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 as well as its goal to become climate positive by 2050. They felt the firm proved how seriously it takes green issues through the co-founding of the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) initiative. Described by one judge as “true leaders in their field”, this company stood out for its level of commitment to reducing emissions, with wide scale use of renewable energy. In particular, Jackson Family Wines has installed solar panels on its properties to the extent that it is now using more on-site solar energy than any other winery in the US. The judges also praised its land management. 60% of its estate vineyard properties are left unplanted in their natural state, and it is working towards a total conversion to regenerative viticulture by 2030. According to one judge: “They practice what they preach and support others to help them do the same.” The judges also gave a commendation to Flor de Caña.

2021 - Familia Torres

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A post shared by Familia Torres (@familiatorres1870)

The judges were impressed with the sheer time and resources that Familia Torres has dedicated to green issues, describing Torres as “the godfather of sustainability” and seeing the company as having “a real leadership role” to play in the green movement. They applauded the company’s generosity in sharing its findings with other wineries around the world, not least through co-founding the IWCA. Furthermore, the judges admired Torres’ “very genuine commitment” to the cause, having ploughed the furrow consistently and made sustainability a fundamental part of its business. Despite having spent €16 million on improving environmental practices over the previous 10 years or so, Torres continued to drive forward, as proven by the implementation of a unique balloon-capture system in 2021. The balloons capture 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide created by fermentation each year, storing it for reuse as a protective inert gas. The judges also gave commendations to Petainer, Cooper King and Lanchester Wines.

2022 - Bonterra Organic Estates

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A post shared by Bonterra Organic Estates (@bonterra)

The judges were unanimous in their decision to award Bonterra, formerly known as Fetzer Vineyards, the ultimate accolade of Green Company of the Year. Put simply, they called it “an unbelievably green company”. The judges were especially impressed by the winery’s B-Corp recertification score of 130, far above the score of 80 needed for certification. One judge had particular praise for the company’s timeframe: “Bonterra is producing climate-neutral wine now. Not in 2030, not in 2050, but right now.” The panel felt that Bonterra was putting itself “at the top of the ‘green’ tree”, and that the Californian producer was continuing to set the standard for the wider industry. “As the largest winery in the world to achieve Regenerative Organic Certification, it is clearly doing much, much more than other companies,” said one judge, who highlighted the scale of the company’s green operations. The judges also gave a commendation to Ridgeview Wine Estates.

2023 - Brooks Wine and The Wine Society

In an exceptionally competitive year, the judges made the decision to split the category in two, with an award for a producer and for a non-producer. Brooks Wine in Willamette Valley, Oregon, took the award for producers, with judges finding the producer had every eco corner covered. Its green initiatives span every part of the winemaking process. It maximises biodiversity through planting hedgerows, trees and flowering cover crops, while it funds reforestation initiatives in other countries. All the vineyards are dry-farmed with no tilling, according to biodynamic principles. Brooks Wines has dramatically improved its recycling rate for it waste products and has reduced its carbon footprint by introducing lightweight glass bottles. In recognition of these achievements, the company has been B Corp certified since 2019. For the non-producer award, the judges chose to recognise one of the UK’s most respected retailers for its clear and wide-reaching work. The Wine Society, since launching a sustainability strategy in 2022, has already made impressive progress towards its goals.

Guess who's back? Our bag-in-box wines! Perfect for summer festivals, sports days, or just keeping cool in your fridge. Which wine would love to see in this packaging? pic.twitter.com/U3mQOn8fnW
— The Wine Society (@TheWineSociety) July 4, 2024

These have seen the company audit its own impact and take measures to reduce its environmental footprint. It has installed solar panels on its warehouses and moved several of its own label lines into lighter bottles, even trialling bag-in-box for some of them. Moreover, it has used its significant network to be a positive influence in the world of wine. It organised a series of Climate Adaptation Webinars, which allowed more than 100 producers to share sustainability practices between themselves and experts. It has also launched a sustainability hub, using its writers and buyers to educate consumers on the sustainability challenges facing the wine trade. The judges also gave commendations to Familia Torres (producer) and Direct Wines (non-producer).

The Drinks Business Green Awards 2024 is open for entries

James Evison — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 08:18:22 +0000

The Drinks Business Green Awards 2024 – the drinks industry’s leading initiative to reward sustainability in the wines, beers and spirits trade – is now open for entries.

Our annual awards celebrate brands and individuals that do so much more than simply pay lip service to sustainability. ENTER THE AWARDS HERE Last year’s winners showed how they were accelerating the decarbonisation of their businesses, and putting sustainability and the net-zero agenda at the heart of their operations, extending carbon-reduction initiatives and biodiversity into every possible element. Winners included the electrification of logistics, the employment of robotic ducks, recycled aluminium bottles and biodynamic wineries. This year, the awards return with 12 categories, sponsored by O-I Glass, Amorim Cork and Pol Roger Portfolio. Melianthe Leeman, global marketing director, wines and spirits, at O-I Glass, says: “At O-I Glass, we are passionate to create a more sustainable drinks industry, as shown by our eco-designed Estampe wine bottle and lightweight Contemporary Collection for spirits. As we actively advance glass packaging sustainability and decarbonise our own production, including recent investment plans for the UK and France, we are delighted to celebrate the Green Company of the Year at the Drinks Business Green Awards.”

How to Enter

Register an account or login using your db login
Start your entry (save it in-progress).
Submit your entry to be judged.
Results will be announced live at our ceremony in London this November.
Results will be published in the drinks business magazine and online.

For any questions, please contact email awards@thedrinksbusiness.com or call +44 (0)20 7803 2420.

Important Information

Deadline: Monday 16 September 2024
Ceremony Location: Central London, UK
Ceremony Date: November 2024

Entry Price

£159 per entry early-bird rate (£189 per entry after 31st July 2024) A discount of £30 per entry is applied after your first 6 entries. All prices are excluding VAT. ENTER THE AWARDS HERE

The good, the bad and the not-so-ugly from The Green Awards 2023

Sarah Neish — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 12:26:30 +0000

The Drinks Business Green Awards celebrate companies pioneering sustainable ways of doing business. We reveal this year’s worthy winners here and explain why they stand out. NOW IN their 14th year, our annual Green Awards take a deep-dive into the sustainable activities of drinks companies around the world. Rather than rewarding faraway targets or lofty ambitions, our panel of judges assesses the measurable actions that brands have taken within the last 12 months to minimise their impact on the environment, which distinguishes our awards from others in the sector. Our winners are not necessarily those who have the most money to spend on their green agenda, but instead are those who strive to make a difference to the people and world around them, with what resources are available to them. For that reason, this year’s green champions span the gamut from a small Umbrian winery in a remote, rural location to one of Japan’s oldest sake producers, and eponymous retail outfit Waitrose. On Tuesday 5 December, members of the trade gathered at The Ivy Club in London to nibble on arancini balls and sip Masottina Costabella Prosecco Superiore DOCG while congratulating the winners at the Green Awards 2023 ceremony. Introducing the event, Patrick Schmitt MW, editor-in-chief of the drinks business, said: “Not only did we have more submissions than ever, but the quality of entries in 2023’s Green Awards was our highest yet, meaning that making it onto a shortlist was a major achievement.” Calling this year’s haul of winners “inspirational beacons of environmental and ethical practice in our trade”, he went on to observe that the current buzzword in farming appears to be ‘regenerative’. “In short, it’s no longer enough to stop damaging ecosystems,” said Schmitt. “It’s now incumbent on producers to also repair them.” Regarding carbon, our winners demonstrated the importance of not only stopping CO2 emissions, but also taking the gas out of the atmosphere and storing it in below- and above-ground matter. This year’s awards recognise some outstanding individuals, including the head of a Spanish wine body that is on track to become the world’s first 100% organic DO – and an up-and-coming Argentinian wine group figure with a “helicopter view of sustainability”. We would like to thank our partners: Amorim, Pol Roger Portfolio, Jackson Family Wines, VinLog and Ty Nant Welsh Mineral Water. Read on for the full list of winners.

Winner: Lungarotti

THE AMORIM SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

Winner: Lungarotti

The judges were “completely blown away” by the scale of impact relative to the size of this small winery in Umbria, Italy, which puts community and culture at the heart of everything it does. They were impressed by the meaningful outreach programmes the winery had established within its local community, including building the town’s police station, and the judges went as far as to say that businesses like Lungarotti are “the glue left holding agricultural communities together”. Judges were also wowed by the green viticulture that Lungarotti is carrying out in its vineyard, looking at recovery sprayers and the effect of chemical drift. One judge commented: “They are truly leaders within a region.”

Commendation: Domaine Lafage

Judges wanted to commend this winery in Perpignan, France, for using sustainable practices to highlight the plight of its region, “which won’t survive if climate change continues the way it’s going”, and for its use of biochar which one judge called an “incredibly hot topic” in global agriculture, and yet very few producers are harnessing it.

Commendation: Spier Wines

This South African producer caught the judges’ eyes for its lightweight bottles, zero waste to landfill and no fewer than five different carbon sequestration projects.

Shortlist:

Domaine Bousquet Domaine Lafage Glengoyne Single Malt Scotch Whisky Lungarotti Spier

Winner: Château Léoube

THE AMORIM BIODIVERSITY AWARD

Winner: Château Léoube

This award is all about encouraging an abundance of life within the vineyard, and winners are those who are able to show they have enhanced species richness. Our judges were impressed by the range of different approaches that this Provence winery, where 80% of its estate is left “wild and unencumbered”, is taking to encourage biodiversity, from winter crops to permaculture. They also loved the fact that Léoube was able to show maps detailing exactly where it had found new species as a result of its work, leading the judges to state that this is a company that is clearly “not just paying lip-service”, but wholeheartedly believes in biodiversity as an organisation.

Commendation: Viña Maquis

Our judges were keen to recognise this Chilean producer for its “relatively lowcost but impactful” biological corridors, and for directing watercourses through the vineyard to encourage flora and fauna. Calling it “practical and pragmatic” about biodiversity, they said they would be fascinated to see some soil analysis from the site in the future.

Shortlist:

Château Léoube González Byass Angel de Viñas Jordan Vineyard & Winery Viña Maquis

Winner: Waitrose’s Loved & Found range of wines

THE AMORIM SPECIAL AWARD

Winner: Waitrose’s Loved & Found range of wines

This award went to a a respected retailer for launching a range of wines that has done away with plastic capsules while employing an FSC-certified, carbon-sequestering cork stopper. Deemed “a bold move” and described as being “an important step forward with a direct, demonstrable positive impact”, the Waitrose Loved & Found range of wines features a closure that boasts a negative CO2 balance of –393 grams, and no plastic in the packaging.

Winner (producer): Brooks Wine

GREEN COMPANY OF THE YEAR

Winner (non-producer): The Wine Society

In a category with so many first-rate entries, the judges were keen to recognise the different requirements of wine production, as opposed to distributing and retailing drinks. As a result, they decided to divide this award in two. In the non-producer segment, the glory goes to The Wine Society, an impressively ethical retailer that is driving change among wine producers thanks to its ambitious and widelypublicised aims.

Commendation (non-producer): Direct Wines

Also in the non-producer segment, the judges wanted to commend a mail-order wine business for having a significant green impact on its suppliers, while improving its own eco-credentials too.

Winner (producer): Brooks Wine

The Green Company accolade goes to a dry-farmed, no-till, biodynamic wine producer in Oregon’s Willamette Valley that has every eco corner covered, from its hedge and tree planting projects to bottle lightweighting programmes and B Corp-certified status.

Commendation (producer): Familia Torres

Our judges wanted to applaud an “irreproachable climate hero” that has recently embraced regenerative viticulture on a large scale.

Shortlist:

Brooks Wine Direct Wines Familia Torres Kojima Sohonten Voyager Estate The Wine Society

Winner: Kojima Sohonten for Toko Junmai Daiginjo – Aigamorobo Farmed

BEST GREEN LAUNCH

Winner: Kojima Sohonten for Toko Junmai Daiginjo – Aigamorobo Farmed

This year’s award goes to an innovative sake that our judges loved. Made using robotic ducks, it put a smile on our faces, but also an end to polluting rice-growing methods in Japan. Kojima Sohonten brewery in the Yamagata Prefecture put the robot to work on 12 hectares of rice fields, where rotating rubber brushes on the robot’s underside oxygenated the water in the paddies by stirring it up and preventing weeds from taking root.

Commendation: Amcor for STELVIN® Greener capsules

The judges wanted to recognise a closure company for launching a new capsule containing recycled aluminium.

Commendation: Bonterra Organic Estates for the Estate Collection

The judges were impressed by a trailblazing organic wine producer for creating a striking range to draw attention to regenerative farming practices.

Shortlist:

Amcor for STELVIN® Greener capsules Bonterra Organic Estates for the Estate Collection Hautes Glaces for Organic French Whisky Kojima Sohonten for Toko Junmai Daiginjo – Aigamorobo Farmed

Winner: Domaine Bousquet

THE ETHICAL AWARD

Winner: Domaine Bousquet

This year, one organic wine producer stood out for providing employment, education, leadership and training in a rural area in Argentina, garnering much praise from the judges for investing in people. Domaine Bousquet’s founders moved to Argentina from Carcassonne, France, to found the winery in 1990 in a spot which locals dismissed as “too high and too cold” to grow vines.

Shortlist:

Bodega Argento Domaine Bousquet VIK

Winner: The Wine Society

VINLOG GREEN RETAILER AWARD

Winner: The Wine Society

One retailer wowed for its ambitious, externally-approved carbon reduction targets, and a publicised 10-year roadmap to become as green as possible. Such developments involve its large and diverse network of suppliers, which are expected to conform to this retailer’s tough green goals.

Commendation: Direct Wines

The judges wanted to recognise an increasingly green retailer for its impressive eco-efforts, not just in terms of its own waste reduction achievements, but also the impact it has on suppliers.

Winner: Lanchester Wines

VINLOG GREEN IMPORTER/DISTRIBUTOR AWARD

Winner: Lanchester Wines

This is a business that has embraced renewable power sources for its energy-intensive business, using wind, solar and geothermal to run almost all its operations. The multi-million-pound investment has made this family business one of the most sustainable in the sector.

Commendation: Alliance Wines

The judges wanted to commend a distributor that is doing a remarkable amount to be green, from reducing carbon emissions to ditching plastic packaging, as well as investing in rainwater capturing and LED lighting.

Commended: Bruichladdich Distillery Company for The Classic Laddie

THE GREEN PACKAGING AWARD

Winner: Mallard Point

This year, the honour went to a pioneering English wine and spirits producer for adopting a refillable bottle made from recycled aluminium. The judges were impressed with Mallard Point’s swing-top closure and its decision to use the same lightweight, refillable bottle for wine, sparkling wine and spirits.

Commendation: Bruichladdich Distillery Company for The Classic Laddie

The judges wanted to commend a Scotch producer for creating an eco-friendly whisky package without sacrificing its brand identity.

Shortlist:

Bruichladdich Distillery Company for The Classic Laddie Crate Journey’s End X Interpunkt cardboard bottles Mallard Point Talisker X Parley for Wilder Seas Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Winner: Alpamanta Estate

BEST ORGANIC INITIATIVE

Winner: Alpamanta Estate

The judges called the organic achievements of this biodynamic Argentinian winery a triumph as Alpamanta has thought about “every conceivable angle” of environmentally-sensitive wine production. In the local indigenous culture, Alpamanta means ‘Love for the Earth’, which the producer clearly proved with its vineyard practices.

Commendation: Shannon Family of Wines

Judges were full of admiration for this Californian winery for not only farming organically and regeneratively, but also for launching a sheep-grazed vineyard initiative called Project Ovis.

Shortlist:

Alpamanta Estate Domaine Bousquet Shannon Family of Wines

BEST LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN GREEN INITIATIVE

Winner: Kuehne+Nagel for VinLog’s Electrification Initiative

This year, one company stood out for the ongoing electrification of its vehicles, procuring 23 zero-emission trucks in the past 12 months alone alone.

Winner: Kojima Sohonten

THE RENEWABLE ENERGY IMPLEMENTATION AWARD

Winner: Kojima Sohonten

Despite being one of the oldest sake breweries in Japan, Kojima Sohonten was dubbed “a leader” by our judges in terms of its innovative approach to green energy. They applauded its creative thinking in finding a way to turn a sake by-product that Japanese breweries typically struggle to dispose of into energy to fuel its operations. They were also impressed that Kojima Sohonten had invested in an electricity sales company in order to sell the waste-to-energy conversion process it had invented to others who wish to use it. One judge summed it up by saying the Japanese sake maker had “looked at its business, looked at the challenges, and worked out how to overcome them”.

Commendation: The Lanchester Group

The judges wanted to commend this “incredibly impressive operation”, which takes heat out of old coal mines to power its warehouses and has invested more than £13 million in renewable heat and energy generation across its sites, despite being a small business.

Shortlist:

Broadland Drinks Kojima Sohonten The Lanchester Group

THE WATER MANAGEMENT AWARD

Winner: Broadland Drinks

This year, one wine producer stood out for its new waste-water processing system that has allowed it to ditch the carbon-intensive tankering of dirty liquids, taking almost 3,000 HGVs off the road. And Broadland is not stopping there. Its next water management measure will be co-packing and filling the paper Frugal Bottle for wines and spirits. A lifecycle assessment carried out by Intertek found it took 2.5 litres of water to make a lightweight 345g glass bottle made in the UK, but only 0.6 litres to make a Frugal Bottle.

GREEN PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Winner: Andrés Valero, Grupo Avinea

Our judges called Valero “a hard grafter” who had “a helicopter view of sustainability”. They felt his entry showed evidence of “a constructive and coherent suite of activities” during the last 12 months, and the judges particularly applauded his ability to forge important partnerships between different wine companies despite, they said, “collaboration not always being easy in South America”. They were also impressed by the sheer number of green conferences and events that Valero has personally made the effort to speak at recently (upwards of 20 events in 2023 alone), which the judges felt was indicative of the number of people who want to hear what he has to say about green issues.

GREEN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Winner: Joan Huguet, president, DO Penedès

This year’s recipient is impressive for his many achievements. Among these is the production of sustainably-made and organically-certified sparkling wine in Spain. Not only is his winery the source of environmentally-friendly products – indeed, his company Can Feixes is a member of Corpinnat, which is a group for top-end, eco-minded Cava producers – but his most outstanding achievement concerns overseeing a world first. As president of the 25,000-hectare DO Penedès, our recipient has ensured that this important Spanish wine region is on track to become the first DO in the world to go completely organic. Having begun the move seven years ago, Penedès will become 100% organic in 2025, yielding 19 million bottles of certified wine to rigorous standards. In short, our personality has pushed through what no other DO president has yet achieved: 100% conversion to organic practices.

The week in pictures: 2-8 December

James Evison — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 09:25:28 +0000

This week in pictures saw The Drinks Business Green Awards ceremony take place, Louis Thomas in Marsala, Douglas Blyde enjoy a festive lunch, Johnnie Walker launch a new travel retail whisky, and the co-founder of Mermaid Gin undertake a tough trans-Atlantic row.

The Drinks Business Green Awards

This week saw the finalists of the db Green Awards gather at The Ivy Club to crown the best in the business for drinks industry sustainability. Winners included Head of sustainability at Grupo Avinea, Andrés Valero, as Green Personality of the Year, and Green Lifetime Achievement Award to DO Penedes president, Joan Huguet.

Marsala

While holidaying in Marsala, db staff writer Louis Thomas took advantage of the city's rich wine heritage and visited historic fortified wine producers Cantine Florio and Cantine Intorcia (pictured above) to delve into Marsala's maturation, food pairing potential, and commercial future.

He also visited Fina to discover more about how varieties that might not necessarily spring to mind when one thinks of Western Sicily, such as Gewurztraminer, have found a home there.

The Ivy

Douglas Blyde attended the annual event, “The Ivy Festive Lunch” at the original restaurant on West Street (1917) located opposite St Martin’s Theatre which has staged “The Mousetrap” since March 1974. There, in the private room, replete with stained glass, he tried the “Festive Citrus Sparkler”, a spritz coalescing Paul Matthew’s Everleaf Forest with a blood orange shrub, passion fruit and soda. In January, Everleaf will be spreading like ivy, the plant, across all brasseries within The Ivy collection to deliver a quintet of non-alcoholic drinks according to brand manager, Matt Price.

Johnnie Walker

Johnnie Walker launched Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire - an all-new luxury whisky exclusively for travel retail - at a star-studded event in the Chinese resort of Hainan last week. The all-new blend has been created using only 1 in 10,000 casks from the unparalleled Johnnie Walker reserves of aged Scotch. A blend of our rarest Scotch whiskies finished in hand selected XO Cognac casks.

Isle of Wight Distillery

Xavier Baker, co-founder of Mermaid Gin produced at the Isle of Wight Distillery has travelled to the Canary Islands, ahead of competing in ‘The Worlds’ Toughest Row’, rowing 3,000 nautical miles across the Atlantic with two teammates to raise awareness of ocean pollution. The three crewmen will be rowing across the Atlantic in their Ranoch 45 rowing boat named Mermaid Atlantic, taking the name from Mermaid Gin, the lead sponsor of the team. They are raising funds for three organisations: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Surfers Against Sewage and The Seahorse Trust. They are hoping to communicate the detrimental effect of waste in the ocean with plastic being the biggest culprit along with other materials that don’t decompose, polluting the water, damaging eco-systems and threatening marine life.

The Drinks Business Green Awards 2023 winners announced

James Evison — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 17:00:21 +0000

The companies which have been deemed the best in the drinks business for sustainability have been awarded at a glittering prize ceremony today (5 December) in London. Our annual awards celebrate brands and individuals that do so much more than simply pay lip service to sustainability and put the green agenda at the heart of their businesses, extending it to every possible corner and crevice. This year's winners are now exception, and show how sustainability can be a core asset to their businesses. Below are all of our winners and judges' notes as to why they were so exceptional.

The winners

Best Logistics and Supply Chain Green Initiative for 2023 Judges' notes: This year, one company stood out for the ongoing electrification of their vehicles, procuring 23 zero-emission trucks in the past year alone. Winner: Kuehne+Nagel for VinLog's Electrification Initiative

Green Launch of the Year Judges' notes: Employing robotic ducks, this winner put a smile on the judges faces, but also an end to polluting rice-growing methods in Japan. Commendation: Amcor for STELVIN® Greener capsules Commendation: Bonterra Organic Estates for the Estate Collection Winner: Kojima Sohonten for Toko Junmai Daiginjo - Aigamorobo Farmed

Organic Initiative of the Year Judges' notes: A biodynamic Argentine winery that has thought about “every conceivable angle” of environmentally-sensitive wine production won this award. Commendation: Shannon Family of Wines Winner: Alpamanta Estate

The Green Packaging Award Judges' notes: The honour went to a pioneering English wine and spirits producer for adopting a re-fillable bottle made from recycled aluminium. Commendation: Bruichladdich Distillery Company for The Classic Laddie Winner: Mallard Point

Renewable Energy Implementation Award Judges' notes: A green-minded Japanese producer that has proved pioneering in its ability to turn sake by-products into energy to fuel its operations. Commendation: The Lanchester Group Winner: Kojima Sohonten

The Water Management Award Judges notes': One wine producer stood out for its new waste-water processing system that has allowed it to ditch the carbon-intensive tankering of dirty liquids, taking almost 3000 HGVs off the road. Winner: Broadland Drinks

VinLog Green Retailer of the Year Judges' notes: One retailer stood out for its impressive mission to be a sustainable leader, with ambitious, externally-approved carbon reduction targets, and a publicised 10-year roadmap to become as green as possible. Importantly, such developments involve its large and diverse supply base, who are expected to conform to this retailer’s tough green goals. Commendation: Direct Wines Winner: The Wine Society

VinLog Green Importer/Distributor of 2023 Judges' notes: A business that has embraced renewable power sources for its energy-intensive business, using wind, solar and geothermal to run almost all its operations. It’s been a multi-million pound investment, but it’s made this family business one of the most sustainable in the sector. Commendation: Alliance Wines Winner: Lanchester Wines

Amorim Sustainability Award Judges' notes: An Italian winery that – despite its small size – wowed the judges for its many sustainable initiatives. Indeed, it was praised for single-handedly holding together the agricultural community in Umbria. Commendation: Spier Wines Commendation: Domaine Lafage Winner: Lungarotti

Amorim Biodiversity Award Judges' notes: A Provencal winery that has done everything possible to augment species richness in its vineyards and beyond, including rewilding large swathes of its estate. Commendation: Viña Maquis Winner: Chateau Léoube

Amorim Special Award Judges' notes: A respected retailer for launching a range of wines that have done away with plastic capsules while employing an FSC certified, carbon sequestering cork stopper. Winner: Waitrose's Loved & Found range of wines

Ethical Company of the Year Judges' notes: One wine producer stood out for providing employment, education, leadership and training in a very rural area, garnering much praise from the judges for investing in people. Winner: Domaine Bousquet

Green Company of the Year An impressively ethical retailer that is driving change among wine producers with ambitious and widely-publicised aims. Winner: The Wine Society

Green Company of the Year for wine producers Judges' notes: A dry-farmed, no-till, biodynamic wine producer in Oregon’s Willamette Valley that has every eco-corner covered, from its hedge and tree planting projects to bottle light-weighting programmes and B-corp certified status. Commendation: Familia Torres Winner: Brooks Wine

2023’s Green Personality of the Year Judges' notes: "A hard grafter” who has “a helicopter view of sustainability”. Having managed to forge key eco-friendly partnerships between different wine companies in the past 12 months, the judges were full of praise for this passionate and green-minded manager who has achieved so much in such a short space of time. Winner: Head of sustainability at Grupo Avinea, Andrés Valero

Green Lifetime Achievement Award for 2023 This year’s recipient is impressive for his many achievements. Among these is the production of sustainably-made and organically-certified sparkling wine in Spain. Not only is his winery the source of environmentally-friendly products,but it’s also the home of a high-quality traditional-method brand with great respect in its home nation and abroad. Indeed, this person’s company – Can Feixes – is a member of Corpinnat, which is a grouping for top-end, eco-minded Cava producers. But his most outstanding achievement concerns overseeing a world first. As president of the 25,000 hectare DO Penedes, our recipient has ensured that this important Spanish wine region is set to become the first DO in the world to go completely organic. Having begun the move seven years ago, Penedes will be 100% organic in 2025, yielding 19 million bottles of certified produce to this farming philosophy’s rigorous standards. In short, our personality has pushed through what no-other DO president has yet to achieve: 100% conversion to organic practices. Winner: DO Penedes president, Joan Huguet Editor-in-chief- of db Patrick Schmitt MW said: "Well done to our winners and thank you to our supporters."

The Drinks Business Green Awards shortlist 2023

Sarah Neish — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 09:06:04 +0000

Our judging panel, made up of key industry figures from the worlds of drinks and sustainability, have whittled down this year’s impressive haul of entries. We are proud to reveal the shortlist for db‘s Green Awards 2023. Now in its 14th year, the Green Awards was launched to draw attention to those drinks companies that are going above and beyond to reduce their impact on the environment. Below you’ll find all the companies that have been shortlisted for this year’s awards, except for a few special categories, the winners of which will be revealed at a live ceremony held from 2-4pm at The Club at The Ivy, London, on Tuesday 5 December. Among these categories to be announced on the day are Green Personality of the Year, The Water Management Award, Best Logistics and Supply Chain Green Initiative and The Amorim Special Award. The drinks business is grateful to our brilliant line-up of partners for the Green Awards 2023, which include leading Portuguese cork producer Amorim; UK Champagne and fine wine importer Pol Roger Portfolio; IWCA co-founder Jackson Family Wines; Logistics solutions expert VinLog; and Welsh water brand Ty Nant. Read on to find out which companies have been shortlisted. If you would like to attend the awards ceremony then please register your interest by emailing Isabel Distin.

Green Company of the Year

Brooks Wine Direct Wines Familia Torres Kojima Sohonten Voyager Estate The Wine Society

The Amorim Biodiversity Award

Chateau Léoube Gonzalez Byass Angel de Viñas Jordan Vineyard & Winery Viña Maquis

The Amorim Sustainability Award

Domaine Bousquet Domaine Lafage Glengoyne Single Malt Scotch Whisky Lungarotti Spier

Best Green Launch

Amcor for STELVIN® Greener capsules Bonterra Organic Estates for Estate Collection Launch Hautes Glaces Organic French Whisky Kojima Sohonten for Toko Junmai Daiginjo

Best Organic Initiative

Alpamanta Estate Domaine Bousquet Shannon Family of Wines

The Ethical Award

Bodega Argento Domaine Bousquet VIK

The Green Packaging Award

Bruichladdich Distillery Company for The Classic Laddie Crate Journey's End X Interpunkt Cardboard Bottles Mallard Point Talisker X Parley for Wilder Seas Single Malt Scotch Whisky

The Renewable Energy Implementation Award

Broadland Drinks Kojima Sohonten The Lanchester Group

The VinLog Green Retail Awards

Alliance Wine Direct Wines Lanchester Wines The Wine Society

CMBC to invest £10m into Northampton brewery

James Evison — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 10:10:33 +0000

Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company will invest £10 million into its Northampton brewery to improve sustainability. The move will see it increase the capacity of its snap pack packaging as well as reducing water usage. Carlsberg, through its Together Towards Zero initiative globally, has ambitious net zero plans. It aims across its entire value chain to be net zero by 2040, dropping 30% by 2030, as well as achieving net zero across its breweries by 2030. The glue-dot snap pack was first launched in 2018 as a way of replacing plastic rings and paper rings as a method of holding cans together. It was developed by KHS GmbH with Carlsberg Group as a sustainable alternative, and has now been used across CMBC's range of products. The packaging method has now been used for 65% of four and six multipack cans at the Northampton brewery, with the new machine doubling production, resulting in full transition by the end of 2024. As a result of the move, the company believe it will reduce CMBC's plastic usage by as much as 76%, compared to previous multi-packs. Previously Carlsberg has also released a paper bottle prototype in 2019, which was made of green fibre. It was made from sustainably sourced wood fibres and had an “inner barrier” allowing the bottle to hold beer. Two versions were made, one using a thin recycled PET polymer film barrier, while the other has a bio-based PEF polymer film barrier. Water technology is also due to be fitted at the Northampton brewery, which will allow usage to reduce by around 10% or 18 million litres each year. Paul Davies, CEO, CMBC, said: “We take our responsibility as a brewer very seriously and ensuring we reduce our impact on the planet is a hugely important part of this. This major investment of more than £10m in Northampton demonstrates our clear commitments to eliminating packaging waste, reducing water waste, and improving efficiency at our breweries." CMBC’s flagship Carlsberg brand has worked with WWF since 2021, with Claudia Codsi, director of partnerships at the charity welcoming the latest efforts from the brewer to reduce the footprint of its products and packaging.

db Green Awards 2023 open for entries

James Evison — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 07:42:39 +0000

This year’s db Green Awards – the drinks industry’s leading initiative to reward sustainability in the wines, beers and spirits trade – is now open for entries.

Our annual awards celebrate brands and individuals that do so much more than simply pay lip service to sustainability. Last year's winners showed extraordinary commitment and creativity in putting the green agenda at the heart of their businesses, extending it to every possible corner and crevice. From swapping diesel for vegetable oil in delivery trucks and drastically reducing the weight of bottles to protecting mountain life and feeding local communities, the winners showcased how sustainability can be done right.

How to Enter

Register an account or login using your db login here.
Start your entry (save it in-progress).
Submit your entry to be judged.
Results will be announced live at our ceremony.
Results will be published in the drinks business magazine and online.

For any questions, please contact email awards@thedrinksbusiness.com or call +44 (0)20 7803 2420.

Important Information

Deadline: Friday 6th October 2023
Ceremony Location: London, UK
Ceremony Date: November 2023

Entry Price

Until 31st August 2023: £149 per entry
From 1st September 2023: £179 per entry for first 6 entries / £149 per entry for all additional entries

All prices are excluding VAT.

The world’s first carbon-neutral sake ‘Fukuju Junmai EcoZero’ launched

db staff writer — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 09:13:11 +0000

Fukuju Brewery has launched the world’s first carbon-neutral sake named “Fukuju Junmai EcoZero”.

The sake, which achieves net-zero carbon emissions during its production, features both a shortened brewing process and a paperless label. Fukuju Brewery has a history that spans over 270 years and has recently established its ‘Sustainability Journey’, which details its eco-progress until 2030 and sets out to mitigate climate change and other global issues. As part of its journey, the company has identified three key areas to prioritise: creating a carbon-free society, promoting a circular economy society, and developing a society in harmony with nature. To contribute towards a “carbon-free society” Fukuju has switched to 100% renewable energy (hydroelectric power generation by Kansai Electric Power Co.). Its electricity is generated by non-fossil power sources and is compliant with the international standard RE100 ‘Renewable Energy 100%’. Moreover, the brewery has opted for carbon-neutral LNG gas (liquefied natural gas) from Daigas Energy Co. - a “carbon-neutral city gas” that has virtually zero CO2 emissions throughout its life cycle, from production to combustion, and CO2 emissions derived from extraction, transportation, production, and combustion are offset with carbon credits. The adoption of clean energy has allowed the company to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions in the production of its sake, with its next target for 2050 being Fukuju’s entire supply chain. According to the company, it has developed a circular economy society and adopted the use of recyclable bottles, and, as a measure against food waste, is promoting the effective use of sake lees, the by-product of sake brewing, as a raw ingredient. To meet its sustainability goals, Fukuju Brewery has also installed the latest technologies to reduce the amount of water used in the brewing process while maintaining the standards for quality excellence of its sake. For the newly released “Fukuju Junmai EcoZero”, the team decided on a label-less bottle, opting to print directly on the bottle itself, using only no-lead ink and has used both conscientious design and packaging to convey the Fukuju brand’s “deliciousness”, “quality”, as well as “eco-friendliness”. By reducing the rice polishing ratio from 70% to 80%, Fukuju has reduced energy consumption during the milling process and, consequently, environmental impact. (The rice is only polished down to 80% of its original size, shortening the polishing process). Additionally, by using Kyokai dried yeast, the shubo-making step (yeast starter production) can be skipped, resulting in a brewing process shortened by seven days, with less energy consumption and reduced environmental impact. Fukuju Brewery’s sustainable activities have led to a direct increase in sales, especially outside of Japan, showing an incredible +63% rise in export sales value from January - October 2022, compared to the same period in 2019 prior to the pandemic. Fukuju was the winner of The Renewable Energy Award of Drinks Business Green Award 2022 and got commendation of Best Green Launch 2022 as well.

The Drinks Business Green Awards shortlist 2022

Sarah Neish — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 11:39:04 +0000

Our judging panel, made up of key industry figures across wine, spirits and beer, have whittled down this year's impressive haul of entries after hours of lively debate. We are proud to reveal the shortlist for db's Green Awards. Now in its 13^th year, the Green Awards was launched to draw attention to those drinks businesses that are going above and beyond to reduce their impact on the environment. Below you’ll find all the companies that have been shortlisted for this year’s awards, except for a few special categories, the winners of which will be revealed at a live ceremony held from 3-5pm at The Club at The Ivy, London, on Tuesday 29 November. Among these categories to be announced on the day are The Water Management Award, Renewable Energy Implementation Award, Logistics and Supply Chain Initiative and Green Personality of the Year. Our judges were impressed by the quality of the entries this year, with one judge declaring that the greenest companies are those that are "prepared to look at the ugly parts of their business, not just the beautiful parts." The drinks business is grateful to our brilliant line-up of partners for the 2022 Green Awards, which include leading Portuguese cork producer Amorim; UK Champagne and fine wine importer Pol Roger Portfolio, Logistics solutions expert VinLog, and Welsh water brand Ty Nant. Read on to find out which companies have been shortlisted. If you would like to attend the awards ceremony at The Ivy on Tuesday 29 November then please register your interest by emailing Isabel Distin at isabel@thedrinksbusiness.com

The Drinks Business Green Awards 2022 shortlist

The Amorim Sustainability Award Shortlist:

Mezcal Amaras
Sustainable Wines of Great Britain
UPM Raflatac
Domaine Bousquet
Hammer & Son
Villa Sandi
Vina Cono Sur
Bodegas Luzon

The Amorim Biodiversity Award Shortlist:

Concha y Toro
Symington Family Estates
Terrazas de los Andes
Château La Lagune
Château Galoupet
Bodegas Argento

The VinLog Green Packaging Award Shortlist:

Greenall's
Château Galoupet
Champagne Telmont
Terrazas de los Andes
Wise Wolf by Banrock

Green Company of the Year Shortlist:

Ridgeview Wine Estate
EWGA Wines
Avignonesi
Gonzalez Byass
Hammer & Son
Bonterra Organic Estates

Best Organic Initiative Shortlist:

Santa Margherita
Waitrose & Partners
Hammer & Son
Bodega Argento

The Ethical Award Shortlist:

Spier Wine Farm
Champagne Telmont
Kendall-Jackson Winery
Journey's End Vineyards
Terrazas de los Andes

Best Green Launch Shortlist:

Kobe Shushinkan Brewery
Château Galoupet
Wise Wolf by Banrock
Pacheco Pereda

The Green Awards is accepting entries for 2022

Patrick Schmitt — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 10:30:58 +0000

This year’s Green Awards – the drinks industry’s leading initiative to reward eco-minded wines, beers and spirits – is accepting entries now.

The biggest programme of green awards in drinks is looking to hear from sustainable businesses in all areas of the trade, with a deadline for entries in October this year, and an awards ceremony due to take place in December. Designed to provide independent recognition for environmentally-sensitive operators and products, this awards programme offers anyone in drinks a powerful opportunity to promote their green credentials. Now in its 13^th year, the Green Awards comprises 12 categories, with a new one for 2022, which is for Best Green Package – in partnership with VinLog – which has been added to reward a design that offers bags of appeal for its target audience, while having as little impact on the environment as possible. The 2022 Green Awards will also feature a Special Award from Amorim – sponsors of the Sustainability and Biodiversity Awards, which will be announced at the ceremony. This award will be chosen by Amorim in conjunction with The Drinks Business and will reward a drinks company that has made an outstanding contribution to green and environmental issues in the past 12 months. To find out more about the Green Awards or to enter any of the categories in this year’s programme, please click here. The Green Awards is proud to list the following businesses as its supports: Amorim, Pol Roger Portfolio, VinLog (powered by Kuehne+Nagel) Read more

The Drinks Business Green Awards 2021: the winners

Sustainable Sake: Fukuju’s winning combination

Patrick Schmitt — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:20:41 +0000

How a historic sake brewery beat the competition in wines and spirits to win big in 2020’s Green Awards from the drinks business.

Among the products that entered 2020’s Green Awards from the drinks business was a category of drinks that had yet to feature in the competition. And this was a surprise for the judges. After all, as the only set of gongs to celebrate all that’s alcoholic and sustainable, the number and range of entries is large, taking in everything from paper-packaged wine to carbon-zero cider. But this latest edition was different. As the judges sifted through the entries, and drew up shortlists of the most impressive brands, businesses and personalities, it became clear that one particular operation was a seriously impressive, green-minded set-up. And it wasn’t a wine, nor a spirit. Neither was it a beer, cider or a mixed drink. No, it was a Sake.

In fact, it was a product from an area in Japan that’s famous for sake, the village of Nada, near the port of Kobe. While its location added to the judges’ level of interest, it was the approach to production that gained their approval, and garnered their excitement. Indeed, it was after one long session discussing the entries in the category for Water Management, which ranged from a brilliant Puerto Rican rum producer to a longstanding west country cider maker, that it became clear that the winner would be a Sake.

Hailing from the Kobe Shushinkan Brewery, the accolade went to the maker of the Fukuju brand for its efforts to converse water for ecological and ethical reasons. As previously reported on by the drinks business, this sake brand was founded in 1751, taking its name from one of the Seven Lucky Gods in Japanese mythology, Fukurokuju. With fuku meaning ‘happiness’, roku, ‘wealth’, and ju, ‘longevity’, the sake brand has always been linked to moments of celebration.

Relatively new to the brand’s positioning, however, has been its strengthened green credentials, and it’s apt that the particularly careful management of water should be central to this, because it is the precious mineral-rich natural water of the Nada area that’s key to Fukuju’s quality.

Nada is one of the great sources of Sake due to an ideal combination of climate, topography, soils, and, especially, water. Fukuju, lying below the Rokko Mountain range, has a bountiful access to exceptional natural underground water, called Miyamizu. This water, which is low in iron, but rich in minerals, was discovered almost 200 years ago, and is fundamental to Nada’s position as Japan’s top sake-producing area. Importantly, at Fukuju, the brewery blends the mineral rich Miyamizu with different types of more neutral water to create the ideal combination for a refined style of sake – the drink is of course made from water and rice, with the help of yeast to create alcohol, just like any wine.

So why would Fukuju invest in water conservation when it’s situated in a place with an abundant supply of mineral-rich, clean water? Well, it’s not to save money. With sake breweries generally allowed to use the underground natural water supplies free of charge, there is no economic incentive to reduce their usage. The reason was, and continues to be, “an ethical duty”, according to the company, both to reduce the amount used, and protect its quality.

In terms of conserving the quantity of water it uses, that’s been made possible by employing a special technique during the sake-making process. Through the implementation of ‘jet air bubble technology’ in the rice washing process, Fukuju has managed to halve the amount of water it uses at this point of sake production. In addition, the brewery has adopted a method of recirculating water in the bottle washing process to further reduce consumption.

Together, Fukuju has managed to drop its water use by almost 10% for each litre of sake produced in the past decade – representing a significant saving for the brewery, which has doubled the volume of sake made over the same period.

As for protecting the quality of water, Fukuju has been active here too, helping to preserve a natural supply of Miyamizu for all who choose to use it. Using Mt Rokko’s bounty (water and rice) to create Fukuju, the brewery donates a proportion of the funds raised through the sales of its Fukuju Junmai Green Label to the preservation of Mt. Rokko.

In addition, the brewer collaborates with the Miyamizu Preservation Research Group to manage water resources, conduct surveys, and take part in studies to minimize the impact of civil engineering and other projects in the area on the precious groundwater.

And Fukuju’s ethical duty extends beyond water conservation. The brewery has also invested in storing water for emergencies that can afflict the local community, from typhoons to earthquakes. Among the latter is one that remains strong in the memory of all who work at Fukuju. On 17 January 1995, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 struck the Hyōgo Prefecture, home to the Kobe port and village of Nada, destroying much of the village, including the Fukuju brewery in its entirety.

Today, a rebuilt, state of the art Fukuju brewery has a water tank on site that contains as much as 72,000 litres, which is enough to supply drinking water for 2000 people for a month (based on 1.5 litres consumption per capita per day).

But water management is also relevant to other wider measures to make Fukuju a truly sustainable business. That’s because in 2020 the company started a plan to generate renewable hydroelectric energy using water wheels driven by the rivers flowing from Mt Rokko. Furthermore, Fukuju is sharing its knowledge with local residents who are also looking to turn to hydroelectric power generation and held a water sustainability symposium at its brewery last year.

Overall, in the last ten years, through a range of green-minded investments, Fukuju has achieved 10% energy savings annually while increasing its production volume. In recognition of such sustainability achievements, the brewery was honored with Japan’s 2019 Minister of Finance's Award (the most prestigious of the nationally-renowned Eco-Pro Awards) from more than 1,200 Japanese breweries.

It’s also giving back to the local community. Beyond its work to help preserve the underground waters of the region, Fukuju is supporting the Toyooka City White Stork Fund by donating profits from its sakes to support the return of storks to the wild, and promote biodiversity in the area.

With the Fukuju brewery being a popular tourist destination incorporating a thriving hospitality business on site, serving almost 40,000 meals annually, the sake producer not only features locally-sourced foods at its restaurant, but also uses sake lees to make ice cream. Indeed, today, there are no waste products from the sake-making process at Fukuju.

So, not only has Fukuju pioneered the implementation of jet air bubble technology to halve the amount of water used in the rice washing process, and created a special reserve of fresh water for the local community in case of disaster, but it has also promoted diversity in the area, while supporting the complementary businesses of the region.

In terms of the measurable impact of the brewer’s investments, both water consumption and CO2 emissions during Sake production have been reduced by as much as 10% at Fukuju over the past 10 years, when, during this same period, the business has more than doubled in size (even taking into account the impact on sales of the past 12 months from the coronavirus pandemic).

Finally, even its packaging has seen change for the better. While Fukuju’s flagship sakes come in blue glass bottles, because only brown and clear glass bottles are recycled in Japan, Fukuju have made an innovative change to the presentation of its top-end products. By applying an electrostatic coating to transparent bottles, they are now recyclable, reducing landfill by approximately 450,000 bottles a year, while retaining their signature blue appearance.

Such developments show how this historic sake producer has not been afraid to take big technological strides forward in an attempt to reduce its impact on the environment. In particular, however, it was Fukuju’s measures to converse water and support the community that really impressed the judges in the drinks business Green Awards for 2020. These represented investments that won’t yield any direct financial return; they are moves made for ethical, not monetary motives. And such developments show best the ethos of Fukuju – a sake brewer of heritage, with a respect for its environs, and, through its recent investments in sustainability, a thoughtful approach to the long-term future as well.

Fukuju: training the US trade

Date: Thursday, 18 February, 7:00am (JST)
Fukuju is to hold an online business meeting to introduce the brand's sake brewing techniques and products to American distributors.
The president of Fukuju will talk about the corporate mission and philosophy of sake brewing and introduce the brewing process on video. After a virtual tour of the brewery, participants will taste some of the products that are distributed in the US.

The Drinks Business Green Awards 2020 winners

Lucy Shaw — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 12:54:24 +0000

Honouring the drinks trade’s eco warriors, rather than our usual fizz-fuelled gathering at The Club at The Ivy in Covent Garden, we had to settle for a virtual ceremony this year due to the pandemic, which was streamed from the eco-conscious Treehouse Hotel London in Marylebone on 7 December.

Presented by db’s editor-in-chief, Patrick Schmitt MW, this year’s Green Awards celebrated businesses that are going above and beyond to reduce their impact on the environment. Our judges were particularly impressed at the quality of the entries this year, with businesses upping their focus on all aspects of being green, in addition to reducing their carbon emissions. Launched in 2010, our awards are still the only set of industry gongs dedicated exclusively to green-minded drinks companies. Our annual awards celebrate the eco-conscious and ethical, and in doing so, draw attention to green leaders in the hope that it will encourage others to follow in their sustainable footsteps and improve the overall image of wines, beers and spirits. If you’re going to be truly sustainable in today’s fast-paced world, you must consider all aspects of your business operations – whether that’s energy use, water conversation, recycling, transportation, packaging weight, or how you benefit your surroundings, socially, ethically and environmentally. When it comes to packaging, drinks already have a head start, as wines and spirits generally use glass, which is both inert and easily recycled. We also use cork; a natural, biodegradable material that supports diverse ecosystems and agricultural labourers in sparsely populated parts of southwestern Europe. However, in wine production, we also use large amounts of water, and potentially damaging fungicides, pesticides and weed-killers. Reducing water use and fungicide applications is a must, while, thanks to advances in soil-management techniques, it is now unacceptable for any wine business to apply poisonous chemicals to vines. Drinks businesses need to find ways to be sustainable from an economic as well as an environmental perspective. With importers, distributors, retailers and consumers demanding ethically-sourced products, companies in all sectors of the drinks industry must improve their green credentials to thrive long term. Before we celebrate the green trailblazers in the industry, we would like to thank our discerning judges in 2020’s awards, along with our lead sponsor, Amorim, for its continued support of the sustainability and biodiversity awards, and for the cork-framed certificates for our winners. We are also extremely grateful to our partners for the 2020 Green Awards: Amorim, Pol Roger Portfolio, ProWein, EuroShop and Energy Storage Europe. Read on for our full list of winners from the awards.

The Amorim Sustainability Award for an association

Winner: The Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Programme (WASP) Formed in 2015, The Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Programme (WASP) is a voluntary initiative, promoted by the Comissão Vitivinicola Regional Alentejana (CVRA) and aimed at grape and wine producers in the Alentejo Region. It particularly impressed the judges for the rapid growth in the number of member wineries recruited during the past 12 months, as well as the impact the association has had on their environmental footprint, with energy consumption reduced by 30%, and water use by 20%. The judges also rated WASP for its training workshops, independent auditing process, and high standards, as well as the fact all these achievements had been made on a small budget. Shortlist:

International Wineries for Climate Action
The Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Programme
Wines of Great Britain Ltd

The Amorim Sustainability Award for a company

Winner: Flor de Caña Having been certified as Carbon Neutral by the Carbon Trust in May 2020, Flor de Caña is the only global spirit to hold the world’s two top sustainability certifications: Carbon Neutral and Fair Trade. While this recent achievement impressed the judges, it was also this Nicaraguan distiller’s other efforts that secured its position at 2020’s winner, in particular its products to support the local community, its focus on recycling, and its tree planting programme. Having considered the five pillars of sustainability, the judges agreed that Flor de Cana had “ticked every box”. Commendation: Château Maris This biodynamic southern French wine producer was deemed worthy of a special commendation for its plant-based buildings, push to reduce CO2 emissions, early B-Corp status, and major new plantings in the past year, both of vineyards but also boundary areas to promote biodiversity. Commendation: Thatchers Cider The judges were very keen to commend this cider business for its recent investment in renewable energy, along with its efforts to eradicate plastic in packaging, encourage diverse orchards and plans to be self sufficient in terms of energy requirements by 2025. Shortlist:

Château Maris
De Bortoli Wines
Flor de Caña Rum
Ian MacLeod Distillers
Susana Balbo Wines
Thatchers Cider

The Amorim Biodiversity Award

Winner: Château de l’Escarelle Promoting biodiversity has been core to the approach at Château de l’Escarelle in the heart of of the Provence Verte region. With 100 hectare organic vineyard is set in 1,000 hectares of woodland, this property has made major strides in the last year to augment species richness, with cover crops in the vineyards, plantations of apple and olive trees in the surrounding environs, and a butterfly garden in partnership with a bird conservation charity. Having looked at this entry, with all its efforts to promote species richness in a beautiful landscape, one judge said, “I just want to be there”. Commendation: Château Leoube The judges felt that Château Leoube deserved a commendation for its all-encompassing efforts to create a remarkable sustainable vineyard estate in Provence and its brilliant plan to enhance biodiversity, and they look forward to seeing the measurable results of this soon. Commendation: Irish Distillers It was also felt by the judges that Irish Distillers should be commended for its work fostering Ireland’s endangered wildflower species, and the fauna its supports, while incentivising local farmers to enhance biodiversity on their estates too. Shortlist:

Château de l’Escarelle
Château Leoube
Irish Distillers
Left Coast Estate
Yealands Wine Group

Green Packaging for Wine Design of the Year

Winner: VSPT Wine Group for B-Liv The judges loved this new wine launch from Chile’s VSPT group for its striking design, beautiful finish, and eco-minded approach. Called B-Liv, it was launched globally in 2020 as a range of organic and vegan wines, while being a new range produced using renewable energy originating from VSPT’s own generation sources. The judges were particularly impressed by the fact that all production inputs were 100% recyclable materials, while B-Liv employs the lightest possible bottle for the category in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint. Sealed with cork, VSPT stressed that the closure is certified carbon-negative, natural and compostable. Using traditional materials, while minimising the impact on the environmental, the judges stressed that people would want to buy it, whether or not they are eco-minded consumers.

Green Packaging for Wine Innovation of the Year

Winners: Accolade Wines and Garçon Wines It was decided this year to give the Green Packaging Innovation Award to two companies, because the judges felt they were equally deserving. While both employed the same novel packaging format, a flat PET wine bottle, Garçon Wines was a deserving winner of this year’s award as the developer of the product, while Accolade Wines was also a worthy recipient as the first major brand to put its weight behind it, by adopting the bottle for its Banrock Station wine brand, while putting in the technology to fill it on a large scale by installing a new bespoke line for the flat format at its bottling plant in Bristol, called The Park. Commenting on the product, the judges noted how it has already proven to have a positive reception among wine drinkers in the Scandinavian and Nordic markets, and described it as “a very exciting packaging innovation.” As for its take-up by Accolade Wines, they commented that this marks a “huge” development the flat bottle, and one that will be key for the format’s roll-out into the mainstream. Shortlist:

Accolade Wines
Bosco UK
Bruce Jack Wines Limited
Garçon Wines
VSPT Wine Group

Green Packaging for Spirits Award

Winner: Ian MacLeod Distilleries Our judges praised this company’s use of 100% recyclable packaging, featuring no metals or plastic, sourced from FSC approved suppliers, and the way it encourages consumers to reuse its prestige packaging as a storage cabinet once the whisky has been drunk. “They take the topic of sustainability very seriously and are working with Scottish suppliers to support their local economy,” said one judge. Commendation: Bush rum This company deserved commending for its use of 100% recycled glass, which, in the process, makes every bottle unique for the end consumer. They also loved the fact that its labels are natural, biodegradable and made from 95% sugar cane. Shortlist:

Bush Rum
Ian MacLeod Distillers
Irish Distillers

Green Company of the Year

Winner: Jackson Family Wines Our judges praised this company’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and its goal to become climate positive by 2050, and felt the firm proved how seriously it takes green issues through the co-founding of the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) initiative. Described by one judge as “true leaders in their field”, this company stood out for its level of commitment to reducing emissions, widescale use of renewable energy, and the way it gives back to the land through regenerative farming. “They practice what they preach and support others to help them do the same,” said one judge. Commendation: Flor de Caña Our judges were impressed by this company’s commitment to the environment and the fact that its rums are distilled with 100% renewable energy generated from biomass. They praised its efforts in giving back to the planet via the annual planting of 50,000 trees, along with its capturing and recycling of carbon emissions, which are sold on to breweries in Central America – an initiative our judges said was “impressive and unique”. Commendation: Two Drifters Distillery This company deserved commending for being the world's first rum distillery with a carbon negative footprint. Our judges liked its use of a certified carbon neutral courier, a zero emissions electric Nissan van for local deliveries, and how it is converting its carbon emissions to stone and edible waste into farm feed. “They show what the little guys can do really well through every step of the supply chain,” said one judge. Shortlist:

Cape Byron
Concha y Toro
Flor de Caña Rum
Jackson Family Wines
Two Drifters Distillery
Yealands Wine Group

Best Organic Initiative

Winner: Bonterra Our winner was praised for using humour to educate consumers about the importance of organic viticulture, while poking fun at wine clichés through its Tastes Like Saving the Planet campaign. “Educating people about green issues is very important nowadays, and I loved how they used humour to tell their story and spread the word,” said one judge. Commendation: Organic Winegrowers New Zealand Our judges felt this initiative deserved commending for its fresh take on raising awareness about organic viticulture, and praised how the campaign has evolved this year to become both more international and digitally focused due to the pandemic. They loved its international reach, multi channel approach, and goal of inspiring others to follow an organic path. Commendation: Gerard Bertrand Our judges felt this producer deserved commending for its large-scale efforts in implementing and championing organic and biodynamic viticulture across 16 estates in France. They loved the sharing of knowledge with other wine growers at its dedicated research and development centre, and its partnering with farmers that share its organic vision. “Regenerative agriculture is the next big thing that people will be guided towards and this producer is already doing it on a wide scale, which is very impressive,” one judge said. Shortlist:

Bonterra
Gerard Bertrand
Organic Winegrowers New Zealand
Reyneke Wines

Ethical Company of the Year

Winner: Journey’s End Our judges were unanimous in their praise for this company’s genuine commitment to supporting its local community, which this year led to the creation of a foundation aiming to tackle worsening hunger and poverty within the South Africa by providing 10,000 free meals a week via nine soup kitchens – a feat one judge described as “extraordinary”. “They are doing something desperately needed right now in providing food for their local community that has been devastated by the pandemic – it’s a little bit of magic”. Commendation: Kobe Shushin-Kan Brewery This company deserved commending for supporting its local community via down to earth initiatives like using local rice in the production of its sakes, local produce at its restaurant, and helping to return storks to the wild. Commendation: Bosman Family Vineyards This well rounded winey also deserved commending for caring for its community at all ages and stages via its educational bursaries, community crèche and adult literacy programme, with one judge calling it “the gold standard” of how to run an ethical company. Shortlist:

Bosman Family Vineyards
Journey’s End
Kobe Shushinkan Brewery
Santa Rita
Trivento

Green Launch of the Year

Winner for wine: De Bortoli for 17 Trees Our winner stood out for its compelling story backed up by an impressive product with great packaging. With a commitment to offsetting its carbon emissions by planting trees to rebuild Australia’s bushland, our judges loved the connection between the brand story and the positive action that has been taken as a result, planting one tree for every six bottles of wine sold. “They’ve successfully turned their idea into a brand with an engaging story,” said one judge. Winner for spirits: Nc'Nean Distillery for Nc'Nean Organic Whisky This company was praised for being the first organic single malt distillery in Scotland powered entirely by renewable energy. Our judges loved its use of 100% recycled glass to house the first bottles of whisky coming off its stills. “It’s a great example of how a small operation can do a good job and should serve as a kick up the backside for the Scotch industry,” said one judge, while another believed it to be “a potential game changer for the Scotch industry”. This company was praised for being the first organic single malt distillery in Scotland powered entirely by renewable energy. Our judges loved its use of 100% recycled glass to house the first bottles of whisky coming off its stills. “It’s a great example of how a small operation can do a good job and should serve as a kick up the backside for the Scotch industry,” said one judge, while another believed it to be “a potential game changer for the Scotch industry”. Shortlist:

Altia for Koskenkorva Vodka Climate Action
Bruce Jack Wines Limited for Bruce Jack 1.5l boxed Chenin Blanc
De Bortoli for 17 Trees
NcNean Distillery for NcNean Organic Whisky

Logistics and Supply Chain Initiative

Winner: Lightweight Containers Our winner stood out for its OneCircle initiative, which connects the interests and needs of the entire supply chain to contribute to the circular economy of plastics. Our judges were impressed by the fact that the company created its own recycled PET material from its PET waste this year, reducing the need for virgin PET material. Collecting used kegs from its customers, the company converts the kegs into recycled raw materials, which are used to produce new PET preforms. Commendation: Fetzer Vineyards Our winner was praised for looking at the wider impact of its operations, and spreading its green philosophy by encouraging its suppliers to become organic. “They are a big company that is driving change and are very serious in their commitment to working sustainably across the supply chain,” said one judge. Shortlist:

Fetzer Vineyards
Hillebrand
Lightweight Containers

Water Management Award

Winner: Kobe Shushin-Kan Brewery Our winner was praised for reducing its water use while doubling its sake production. The judges were impressed by its use of air bubble technology to halve the amount of water used in the rice washing process, and its creation of a 72,000-litre water storage tank capable of supplying drinking water to the local community in the event of a natural disaster. Commendation: Destilería Serrallés Our judges felt this Puerto Rican distillery also deserved commending for its long-term commitment to reducing water waste through its wastewater reclamation system that transforms wastewater into irrigation-grade water used to irrigate the fields surrounding the distillery, while preventing wastewater from ending up in the ocean. Shortlist:

Destilería Serrallés
Kobe Shushinkan Brewery
Thatchers Cider

Renewable Energy Award

Winner: The Park Our judges were impressed by the fact that our winner boasts the UK’s biggest onshore wind turbine, which looks after 50% of its renewable energy needs. Over its operating life the turbine will save 60,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. Running on 100% renewable energy, our winner seeks to further save energy through the use of heat recovery systems, while its carbon emissions are lowered via on-site nitrogen generation and the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil in place of diesel in its vehicles, which is currently being trialled. Commendation: Redheads We felt this company deserved commending for being 97% powered by self-generated and stored renewable energy from solar and storage batteries, leading to a saving of 22 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. We also admired its ambition to be carbon neutral, and the steps it is taking to achieve that goal, including an extensive audit of its carbon emissions.

Green Retailer of the Year

Winner: Honest Grapes Our winner impressed us for its 360° approach to green practices, with 82% of the producers it works with practicing sustainable farming, nearly a third of which are certified organic. We also liked the fact that the retailer recently achieved its goal of having100% plastic-free packaging, and has increased the number of wines it imports directly in order to decrease its carbon emissions. Commendation: Marks & Spencer Our judges felt this carbon neutral retailer deserved commending for its green efforts, which include working with lighter-weight Prosecco bottles; changing the taps on its wine pouches to clear plastic to make them easier to recycle; and its aim to have its red and white wines bottled in green glass by the end of 2021 due to its higher proportion of recycled content.

Best Green Initiative

Winner: Adrian Bridge for the Porto Protocol Our winner spearheaded The Porto Protocol Foundation, an ambitious non-profit corporate institution with hundreds of members, who are united by a commitment to make a greater contribution to mitigate climate change. Born out of the wine industry and spread across industries from its whole value chain, our winner created the foundation with the belief that if we share our successes and experiences, our response against climate change will be more effective. The foundation’s mission is to drive collaborative action by bringing together a network of change makers and workable climate solutions for and within the wine world. Among its many members are Amorim, Marks & Spencer, Napa Valley Vintners, Symington Family Estates and Catena Zapata. Commendation: Justin Moran for The Hidden Sea This initiative deserved commending for its colossal efforts in reducing the number of plastic bottles that end up in our oceans, with the ultimate goal of removing a billion plastic bottles from the world’s oceans by 2030. With every bottle of The Hidden Sea that is purchased, the equivalent of ten 500ml plastic bottles are removed and recycled from the ocean. In order to be fully transparent, each batch of plastic collected is tracked and registered. Our judges loved how interactive the brand is, allowing drinkers to trace the journey of where and when the plastic gets collected on their behalf via a QR code.

Green Personality of the Year

Winner: Gerard Bertrand Our winner stood out for his long-term commitment to organic viticulture – a journey that began in 2002 – and his recent efforts, as this year his entire vineyard operation, spanning 880 hectares across 16 estates in the Languedoc, is now either fully converted to biodynamics or in the conversion process. Having initially experimented with just four hectares at Domaine de Cigalus in Corbières in 2002, now over 60% of his vineyards are certified biodynamic by Demeter, and the remaining 40% are in the process of being certified. We also loved how he is helping the growers he partners with, by giving them technical, economical and commercial support in their quest to adopt organic farming methods.

Watch The Drinks Business Green Awards 2020

Lucy Shaw — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 10:09:26 +0000

Honouring the drinks trade’s eco warriors, the Drinks Business Green Awards 2020 virtual ceremony took place on 7 December.

Click here to watch the ceremony, presented by db’s editor-in-chief, Patrick Schmitt MW, at the eco-conscious Treehouse Hotel London. Now in its 11^th year, the Green Awards celebrate businesses that are going above and beyond to reduce their impact on the environment. After two days of impassioned judging over Microsoft Teams, on 26 November we announced the shortlist for the 2020 awards. Click here to see the shortlist in full. Our judges were impressed at the quality of the entries this year, with businesses upping their focus on all aspects of being green, in addition to reducing their carbon emissions. The drinks business is very grateful to our line-up of partners for the 2020 Green Awards, which include Amorim, Pol Roger Portfolio, ProWein, EuroShop and Energy Storage Europe.

Bacardi to move to 100% biodegradable bottle

Patrick Schmitt — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 10:10:36 +0000

Bacardi has today released plans to put “the world’s most sustainable spirits bottle on the shelf by 2023” with the launch of a package that will biodegrade in 18 months.

The new 100% biodegradable bottle will replace 80 million plastic bottles – representing 3,000 tons of plastic – currently produced by Bacardi across its portfolio of brands every year.

This move by Bacardi has been made possible due to its collaboration with Danimer Scientific, a developer and manufacturer of biodegradable products.

Petroleum-based plastics used by Bacardi today will be replaced by Danimer Scientific’s Nodax™ PHA, a biopolymer which derives from the natural oils of plant seeds such as palm, canola and soy.

While a regular plastic bottle takes over 400 years to decompose, the new spirits bottle made from Nodax™ PHA will biodegrade in a wide range of environments, including compost, soil, freshwater and sea water, and after 18 months disappear without leaving behind harmful microplastics, according to the manufacturer.

Bacardi rum will be the first spirit to appear in the new bottle, before the plant-based material is rolled out to replace single-use plastic across the entire Bacardi supply chain and the company’s 200 brands and labels including Bombay Saphire gin, Grey Goose vodka, Patrón tequila, Martini vermouth and Dewar’s Scotch whisky.

As well as the new 100% biopolymer spirits bottle, Bacardi is also creating “a sustainably-sourced paper bottle”, by integrating the Nodax™ PHA polymer.

Jean-Marc Lambert, senior vice president, global operations for Bacardi, said: "When we set ourselves the goal of being 100% plastic free by 2030, we knew that it would take ground-breaking advances in packaging design to make it achievable, and that’s exactly what’s happening through our partnership with Danimer."

Thanks to the new material, the Bacardi packaging development team will also crack one of the beverage industry’s longest-standing plastic problems – the plastic lining of bottle closures.

“It may sound small,” says Jean-Marc, “but add that up across every bottle produced globally and we’re talking many tons of plastic every day. Once we’ve fixed the problem, we’ll be open sourcing the solution for the entire industry to use.”

Bacardi added that today's announcement represents a major step towards the company achieving its goal of being 100% plastic-free in the next 10 years.

As well as launching the new biopolymer bottle in 2023, the company has also committed to removing all its non-essential, single-use plastic, including all plastic gift box materials and plastic point-of-sale materials, in the next three years.

Nodax™ PHA was verified as a truly biodegradable alternative to petrochemical plastics by the University of Georgia (UGA) and the UGA New Materials Institute in a 2018 study.

Danimer Scientific currently uses the material for a wide range of applications, including thermoformed trays, drinking straws, flexible and multi-layer film packaging, coatings, disposable cutlery, and more.

While this move is a highly commendable development using an advanced, naturally-sourced alternative to oil-based plastic, one should not assume that all bioplastics are better for the environment.

Indeed, a scientific study published in August this year showed that “most bioplastics and plant-based materials contain toxic chemicals”.

The study also found that “bio-based/biodegradable materials and conventional plastics are similarly toxic” (Lisa Zimmermann, et al., Environment International, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.106066).

• The deadline for The Drinks Business Green Awards is fast approaching. Designed to reward those leading the way when it comes to environmental initiatives in drinks, we are inviting entries now for 2020. Just click on the link below to enter or find out more. ENTER THE GREEN AWARDS 2020 - DEADLINE FAST APPROACHING

VSPT releases new sustainability video

Phoebe French — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 10:57:12 +0000

South American wine group VSPT has launched a new video in which it states that the eight awards that it has won at The Drinks Business Green Awards has inspired it "to go further".

The wine group, which owns wineries in both Chile and Argentina including San Pedro, Tarapacá, Leyda, Viñamar and Graffigna, has been committed to improving its environmental credentials for over a decade. Back in 2009, the company launched its '360° Commitment Program', which aimed to incorporate all areas of the business into a strategy to become more sustainable each year. In 2016 the wine giant built the world’s first biogas plant that uses harvest waste to generate 1MW of thermal and electric energy to power its wine production operation. Over the years, it has planted over 11,530 native plants and 35 different species of tree through its conservation work. It also installed Chile's first hydroelectric plant at a winery, which supplies 250KW of power to its Viña Tarapacá winery. The video also highlighted the fact the group now has solar panels at nine of its estates in Chile, producing 2.7MW of power. Another of its sustainability focuses has been its work with a local indigenous community which has seen it plant the 15-hectare Mapuche vineyard in Chile’s remote Malleco Valley. From that it produced the first Pinot Noir from the region, sold under the brand name Tayu. In 2018, it committed to producing all of its wines using 100% renewable energy by 2021. Over the years, the wine group has picked up a total of eight awards at The Drinks Business Green Awards. The awards, which have been held every year since 2010, remain the only set of industry gongs dedicated exclusively to green-thinking drinks companies. Last year, VSPT picked up the Amorim Sustainability Award for Wine, impressing judges with its undiminished commitment to sustainability.

The week in pictures

Edith Hancock — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 11:42:25 +0000

Party season is well under way from Blighty to Brisbane, and all the celebs are getting involved. First up was actor-turned spirits entrepreneur Kate Hudson hosted an intimate cocktail hour for press followed by a private dinner to celebrate the launch of her vodka brand, King St. Hudson mingled with guests as they tried the vodka, which is heavily advertised as being "gluten free"* and even got behind the bar to mix up her favourite cocktail – a dirty martini. *all vodka is gluten free, by virtue of the distillation process. On Wednesday, db threw the party of the year in London to celebrate our 10th annual Green Awards. This year’s Green Awards ceremony, it's safe to say, was special. The Club at the Ivy was more packed out than ever before, with distillers, winemakers, logistics experts, retailers, drinks giants and small brewers all coming out in force to recognise the strides being taken to clean up the drinks industry. Our awards are still the only set of industry gongs dedicated exclusively to the eco-conscious side of the drinks industry. We posted the results of the awards yesterday, which you can read in full here. Thursday, (5 December) saw the Wakefield Summer House of Shiraz in Sydney, with an array of VIP guests including; model Samantha Harris, actor and presenter Darren McMullen, Miss Universe Australia 2012 Renae Ayris, reality star Melissa Lucarelli and MasterChef Australia 2019 winner Larissa Takchi. The Circle of Wine Writers 2019 Christmas Party took place on Monday evening, hosted by New Zealand Winegrowers at New Zealand House in London. Amongst the festive crowd were Oz Clarke and PR Louise Hill, seen here with Yealands, one of the night's wine sponsors. In political spirits, Glenfarclas Distillery has sold a cask of Scotch filled by Conservative MP Ken Clarke 25 years ago for £40,000. The Sherry Hogshead cask, which was sold at the Glenfarclas Distillery shop in Speyside, was filled in May 1994, when Clarke was still Chancellor of the Exchequer. The cask was laid down at Glenfarclas Distillery, and Clarke pledged that the single malt would remain untouched until a Conservative MP won back the seat of Moray, the home of the Glenfarclas distillery. When the constituency of Moray returned to the Conservatives, Clarke returned to the distillery and the cask was bottled. 275 bottles of this very special release were available, raising a grand total of £40,000 for The Salvation Army. John Grant, fifth generation family member and current Chairman of Glenfarclas, together with The Right Honourable Ken Clarke, presented the cheque to The Salvation Army at The Caledonian Club on 2 December. In more pricey Scotch news, a 4ft 9ins tall, 105.3-litre bottle of Tomintoul whisky, believed to be among the world's largest, is going up for auction, and is expected to fetch more than £15,000. Due to be sold by auctioneer Just Whisky, the bottle of 14-year-old Tomintoul, which contains 5,250 drams, is predicted to break a number of records. Weighing in at over 180 kilos, the specially-commissioned bottle holds the equivalent of 150 standard 70cl bottles. Bottled at 46% ABV in 2009, it has a huge cork, oversized label and needed a team of 14 people to help fill and seal it. And in yet more expensive whiskies, a private 3,900 bottle collection, thought to be the largest to be sold at auction with several bottles valued at over £1 million, will go under the hammer next year at Perthshire-based Whisky Auctioneer. It is collectively estimated to achieve an auction price of between £7 and £8 million. In fizzy treats, we've come to the last leg of Champagne house Bollinger's culinary campaign with the UK's hottest chefs right now. Dubbed “Le Grand Tour”, Bollinger has teamed up with chefs on a series of recipes celebrating a single ingredient, designed to pair with its recently released La Grande Année 2008. In this final pairing of the tour, Tom Kitchin at The Kitchen, has chosen scallops to pair with the vintage fizz. The full dish features hand-dived Orkney scallops baked in the shell with seasonal vegetables and a white wine, vermouth and herb sauce. "With 2008 being one of the best most anticipated vintages of the last 25 years we are honoured to be able to offer such a classic champagne by the glass to our guests," said Kitchin. "The firm and meaty character of the La Grande Année 2008 works beautifully with the rich white wine and vermouth sauce of the scallops and the high acid and chalky finish contrasts perfectly with the subtle sweetness of the scallops. "The dish shows you that champagne can be a serious food wine even with the richer and bolder dishes and doesn't always have to be confined to an aperitif, especially in vintages such as the 2008.” In other fizz news, Trentino sparkler Ferrari has been chosen as the sparkling wine partner of Italy's Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team, as it works up to the start of the 36th America's Cup which begins in March 2021. A bottle of Ferrari Maximum Brut was broken against the bow of the team's first AC75 by head designer of Prada, Miuccia Prada. Never ones to shy away from festivities, the Ellis Wines team pulled out all the stops this week. From Father Christmas and Brussels sprouts to reindeers, flamingoes and we're not sure quite what on the right, Ellis give a new meaning to 'go hard or go home'. Sporting their Christmas jumpers for a day, staff helped to raise money for charity Save the Children. Not even the office dog was left un-jumpered.

The Drinks Business Green Awards 2019 winners

Lucy Shaw — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 11:50:56 +0000

This year’s Green Awards ceremony was special, as it marked our 10-year milestone of singling out and celebrating green achievements in drinks. Taking place in the elegant surroundings of The Club at The Ivy in Covent Garden, our winners were awarded at a packed-out ceremony last night, and toasted with flutes of Chilean eco pioneer Emiliana’s organic fizz.

While judging the awards, we discovered that South Africa has emerged as a pioneer in the promotion of biodiversity in vineyards; and brewers, distillers and cider makers in the UK are collectively doing their bit to lessen their impact on the environment, from dramatically reducing their water usage and turning apple pulp into fertiliser, to developing the world’s most sustainable bottling facility. The results were announced to all shortlisted entrants in this year’s Green Awards, along with key players in the wine and spirits trade, and a collection of past winners in the awards, which have been held each year since 2010. Our awards are still the only set of industry gongs dedicated exclusively to green-thinking drinks companies. While it’s a great position for us to be in, it’s surprising, as sustainability is the hot topic of our time and being green is finally seen as sexy. Our annual awards celebrate the eco-conscious and ethical, and in doing so, draw attention to green leaders in the hope that it will encourage others to follow in their sustainable footsteps and improve the overall image of wines, beers and spirits. Today, if you’re going to be truly sustainable, you must consider all aspects of your operations – whether that’s energy use, waste treatment, recycling rates, transport type, packaging weight or how you benefit your surroundings, socially and environmentally. In terms of packaging, drinks already have a head start, because wines and spirits generally use glass, which is both inert and easily recycled. We also use cork, which may not be perfect, but is a natural, biodegradable material that supports diverse ecosystems and skilled agricultural labourers in poor and sparsely populated parts of southwestern Europe. However, in wine production specifically, we use large amounts of water, and potentially damaging environmental inputs in the form of fungicides, pesticides and weed-killers. Reducing water use and fungicide applications is a must, while, thanks to advances in soil-management techniques, it is now unacceptable for any winegrowing business to apply poisonous chemicals to ground-cover plants. Businesses, whatever the drinks sector, need to find ways to be sustainable from an economic as well as an environmental perspective. With importers, distributors, retailers and consumers increasingly demanding ethically-sourced products that do as little as possible to pollute their environs, producers in all sectors of the drinks industry must improve their green credentials to survive in the long term. Before we celebrate the green trailblazers in the business, we would like to thank our judges in 2019’s awards, along with our lead sponsor, Amorim, for its continued support of the sustainability and biodiversity awards, and the provision of cork-framed certificates for all our winners. We are also extremely grateful to Ty Nant for the Welsh spring water, Gerard Bertrand for Château la Sauvageonne La Villa 2018; Jackson Family Wines for Yangarra Estate Old Vine Grenache and Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay; and Emiliana for its organic fizz. Click through for our full list of winners from last night's event.

Ethical Company of the Year – Symington Family Estates

This summer Symington Family Estates joined companies as diverse as Patagonia, Innocent Drinks and Kickstarter in becoming a ‘B Corporation’. The certification is rigorous, assessing a firm’s social, environmental and ethical business practices and obliges the company directors to make social and environmental goals an equal priority alongside financial ones. The B Corp certification cements a large number of varied social and ecological projects that the Symingtons have put in place recently and are continuing to pursue. This year alone they have put in place no fewer than 16 projects from launching a new scholarship programme at UTAD university in the Douro for disadvantaged students, donating an ambulance (making a total of 11 now) to the volunteer fire service, forming partnerships with Rewilding Portugal and The Ocean Clean-up Project, capturing the CO2 produced during fermentation, reducing copper use in their vineyards and working on Portugal’s first LEED winery, due to open in 2021. The company has also measured its carbon footprint and made efforts to cut it, achieving a 23% reduction in per bottle CO2 emissions since 2015. The Symingtons have also launched ‘Mission 2025’, with the ultimate aim of reducing its carbon footprint further and going carbon neutral. Commendation – Santa Rita Estates The judges wanted to commend Santa Rita Estates in particular for its work on social responsibility, which spans the health and education of its workers – including free medical care and scholarships for employees and their children – teaching children about the value of biodiversity and providing concerts and musical programmes. Shortlist Elephant Gin Santa Rita Estates Flor de Caña Fetzer Vineyards Symington Family Estates

Green Retailer of the Year – Marks & Spencer

The judges were impressed by the results M&S has achieved through its ‘Plan A’ project. Launched in 2007, this year the firm's net emissions were 158,000 tonnes of CO2 – a reduction of 75% from the time the programme began – putting it on track to achieve its goal of an 80% reduction by 2030. In the wine department, M&S has cut its carbon footprint by shipping more of its entry-level wines in bulk and light-weighting bottles. In particular, by working together with Italian glass companies, it has managed to create a lighter weight but still safe bottle for Prosecco, which has been used for its Conti Priuli Prosecco, shaving 100g off each bottle and reducing its carbon footprint by 1.2 million kilograms of CO2 a year. Another key Prosecco brand was moved over to these new bottles in December 2019. M&S is also moving to make all its packaging ‘widely recycled’ by 2022, and in the last year has removed 1,000 tonnes of single use plastic packaging with plans to remove another 1,000 in the coming year. A further 1,700 tonnes of black plastic have been removed and none will be used by the end of 2020. Commendation – Honest Grapes Clear goals, a drastic reduction (98%) in plastic use, increasing its range with wines from sustainable producers and direct sourcing were all strong positives that the judges picked out in Honest Grapes’ pitch. The company is aiming to be 100% plastic free by April 2020, any new growers added to the portfolio will have to be sustainable and it is endeavouring to provide feedback to its producers about its initiatives as it already does for its customers. Shortlist Honest Grapes Marks & Spencer Lightweight Containers

Logistics and Supply Chain Green Initiative of the Year – Accolade Wines

The judges were unanimous in their choice of Accolade as this year’s winner of the Logistics and Supply Chain Initiative category. With transport being the UK’s largest contribution to CO2 emissions (26%), and with a shortage of over 150,000 truck drivers predicted for 2020, Accolade has worked around these problems by focusing on more efficient ways of moving goods around the country. Starting in late 2018, Accolade teamed up with Tesco and WEPA to combine deliveries and maximise lorry capacities and ensure they do not drive around empty. Although a complex and time-consuming task that required Accolade and WEPA to immerse themselves in the operations of the other, upgrading Tesco’s systems and even making infrastructure changes at Accolade Park, since its implementation in March 2019, the programme has reduced the number of trucks on the road by 208, with an annual saving of 53 tonnes of CO2 and cost saving of £80,000. The plan now is to take 780 trucks off the road, saving 200 tonnes of CO2 and £300,000 a year. As the judges said, this is, “innovative, tackling complex supply chain issues through collaboration and with a solution that is scalable.” Shortlist Hillebrand Accolade Wines Lightweight Containers Garçon Wines

Water Management in Wine Award – RedHeads Wine

In a challenging environment RedHeads Wine has responded to the tests forced upon it with ideas that are forward-thinking and effective. The average monthly rainfall in Angaston, Australia, is just 20mm and there was no ‘meaningful’ rain between December 2018 and May 2019, during which time the temperature reached over 45°C on some days. Water collection, reducing waste water and water recycling are key focus areas RedHeads has worked towards, capturing all of the water from its winery roof and dam, collecting 2.7 million litres of extra water that can be reused around the winery, while the dam with a storage capacity of 3.8 megalitres is used to supply water for irrigation. All of which, in addition to a new eco-friendly winery, helped convince the judges that though RedHeads by name they were indeed ‘greenheads’ in nature.

Water Management in Beer Award – Small Beer Brew Co.

The joint winner of this year’s Water Management Award was Small Beer Brew Co, which, since its founding in 2017, has worked to reduce waste in its brewery. The site has been engineered to be ‘dry’, saving hundreds of litres of water and making a safer and more hygienic environment without the need for constant washing and the use of harsh chemicals. Through better and cleverer use of water, the brewery has been able to save 6.56 litres of H2O for every litre of beer brewed, a saving of over a million litres of water in the past year. Small Beer also has a pledge to improve its water conservation every six months in a bid to tackle the ‘bad habits’ of the industry.

Organic Initiative of the Year – Tenute Lunelli

Our winner is an example of the very simple idea that being organic doesn’t mean you can’t use up-to-date technology – far from it. Tenute Lunelli owns and runs three wineries across Italy, in Trentodoc, Umbria and Tuscany.As well as practicing organic farming at all three locations, banning chemical sprays and fertilisers and promoting traditional practices, the company has also pursued the ‘Biodiversity Friend’ certification, awarded by the Worldwide Biodiversity Association. Innovation and modern scientific techniques have been employed to support and sustain these practices and help develop framing that works in harmony with the cycles and rhythms of nature. Tenute Lunelli has adopted the ‘Animavitis’ wine management programme, which creates vigour maps allowing for targeted technical strategies in each and every plot and with it a more holistic approach to farming and treatment; perfectly combining organics, tradition and innovation.

Green Launch of the Year – Avallen Spirits

Seeking not only to reduce the harm it does to the environment, as part of its #BeePositive campaign, Calvados producer Avallen wants to “actively have a positive impact” through biodiversity and donates a proportion from every bottle of Calvados it sells to organisations working to protect and restore bee populations, such as the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in the UK. To produce its Calvados, Avallen works with over 40 different varieties of apple sourced from 300 local farmers within close proximity to its distillery in Normandy. Keen to close the production loop, apple pulp from the production process is re-used as cattle feed and fertiliser. The liquid itself has no added sugar or caramel. On the packaging front, Avallen Calvados is housed in a lightweight bottle finished with a no plastic shrink wrap seal, and boasts a label made from paper crafted from apple pulp and printed with natural inks. Even company business cards are printed on wildflower seed paper. Our judges praised Avallen’s bold ambition to bring an old fashioned product into the 21^stcentury through fun, innovative, eco-friendly packaging. Commendation – The Wine People for Purato Having been on the scene for a decade, our judges were impressed with the relaunch of The Wine People’s Purato brand in order to better highlight its green credentials. Describing the brand as “green in the extreme”, the wines in the Purato range are sustainably made at every stage of the production process. The four pillars of the Purato re-launch were to communicate the brand’s green status in being certified organic, vegan friendly, carbon neutral, and boasting packaging made with recycled materials. Believing organics is “the only way forward” for winemaking, the company uses its carbon credits to aid the conservation of the Amazon rainforest. Our judges liked the fact that Purato was “getting the green job done in an unflashy way”. Shortlist The Wine People for Purato Viña Maipo Avallen Spirits Altia Spirits (Kroskenkorva Vodka) Bonterra Organic Vineyards Loop Gin

Green Company of the Year – Pernod Ricard Winemakers

Our runner up last year, this year Pernod Ricard Winemakers scooped the top gong with their impressive entry, which demonstrated that its green initiatives are being implemented across all areas of the company, down to individual employees. With wine brands spanning Australia, New Zealand, Spain and the US, including Jacob’s Creek and Campo Viejo, the wine giant demonstrated its green credentials in all four nations. Just last month the firm moved to 100% renewable electricity in Australia – the first wine company of its size in the country to do so. While in New Zealand Pernod helped to restore over 10 hectares of native wetlands in Marlborough, where over 10,000 plants now thrive. Across the pond at Kenwood Vineyards in Sonoma, the winey has donated over $100,000 towards reforestation efforts after 2017’s devastating wildfires in California, and in Europe, Campo Viejo was the first winery in Spain to obtain the Wineries for Climate Protection certificate. Another key initiative that impressed our judges was a company-wide banning of plastic straws and a move towards the use of lightweight glass in Australia and New Zealand, which has reduced Pernod’s carbon emissions associated with glass by 30%. Our judges felt the entry offered “the best of both worlds” – local thinking with a global reach. Runner-up – Concha y Toro Our runner up was an early adopter of green practices, and was the first winery in Chile to measure its carbon footprint in 2007, and water footprint in 2010. Seeking to “give back in each bottle,” Concha y Toro has reduced its direct carbon emissions by 20% since 2014, and emissions relating to packaging by 22% since 2011. Our judges said it was “good to see these measurable changes” within such a big company. By shipping a large number of its wines in bulk to the UK and bottling them in the northeast of England, the Chilean wine giant has reduced its carbon emissions to the UK by over 50%. On the water front, by implementing drip irrigation at all of its vineyards, Concha y Toro has lowered its water footprint by 38% in the past three years. The company is also on track for all of the energy used at its facilities to come from renewable sources by 2020, as well as becoming a zero waste firm next year. It also intends to reduce its direct carbon emissions by 40% and indirect emissions by 17% by 2030. Shortlist Concha y Toro Emiliana Vineyards Pernod Ricard Winemakers Yealands Estate Hallgarten Wines Australian Vintage Familia Torres Winery

Renewable Energy Implementation Award – Lanchester Wines and Greencroft Bottling

Our judges were impressed by this “really strong, revolutionary, innovative and thoughtful” entry that offered different solutions for different situations. Keen to minimise its use of fossil fuels, the company has pumped over £8 million into renewable energy and heat generation – its Greencroft site is powered by a trio of wind turbines that produce over 5.5m kilowatt hours of clean energy a year. To date, the company’s sustainable practices at Greencroft have generated enough clean energy to power 60,200 homes. In addition to wind turbines, Lanchester works with heat pump technology using water from disused mines at its warehouses in Gateshead – the largest system of its kind in Europe – that has the capability of drawing over 110 litres of water per second. Our judges praised how seriously committed this privately owned family business is to renewable energy, believing a lot of businesses could learn by the example it sets. Looking ahead, Greencroft is due to open “the world’s most sustainable bottling facility” next year, run entirely on renewable wind and solar power. Commendation for wines – Scheid Family Wines Scheid Family Wines in Monterey County, California, received a commendation for installing a 264 foot tall wind turbine in the middle of its vineyard in 2017 – an endeavour that took five years of planning and required its owners to uproot two acres of vines to make room for it. Making use of winds from the Salinas Valley, the turbine produces 1.85 megawatts of electricity per year, (a carbon offset of around 3,645 tons) enough not only for the winery’s energy needs, but also to power 125 local homes. Commendation for spirits – Pernod Ricard Finland Also receiving a commendation was Pernod Ricard Finland, which has been running with 100% renewable energy from Finnish wind power since the beginning of the year, leading to a 2,000-tonne reduction of its carbon emissions.

Amorim Sustainability Award for Spirits – Greensand Ridge Distillery

Our spirits winner in this competitive category went to the UK’s first carbon neutral distillery – Greensand Ridge in Kent. Our judges were “blown away” by just how deeply the company cares about giving back to the environment and its “extraordinary” commitment to renewable energy and water conservation, believing it should serve as the blueprint for other drinks firms in terms of how to run a successful sustainable business. Among the distillery’s green initiatives are using renewable power; being so close to zero waste it only produces one bin bag of rubbish every six weeks; and developing a natural filtered cooling pond that provides the distillery with cold water and a habitat for water-based fauna. On top of this, Greensand Ridge makes its spirits from quality surplus food and food system biproducts, recovering around 50 tonnes of produce per year. Its whisky is made from bread and brandies from outgraded raspberries, apples and plums.

Amorim Sustainability Award for Cider – Aston Manor

We also awarded a winner in the cider category – Aston Manor in Birmingham – which impressed our judges with its well-rounded entry and dedication to sustainable practices, particularly with respect to packaging. This year the firm introduced 51% recycled content into its PET packaging, saving around 1,000 tonnes of raw material annually – the equivalent of 25 million bottles. “This is what sustainability award is about,” said one judge. It is also committed to light-weighting both its PET and canned ciders and is working towards having no waste in landfill sites in 2020. With regards to the apples it uses in the production process, Aston Manor works with local growers and has recently planted an extra 400,000 apple trees. The pulp left over after the apples are pressed is used both as bio-fertiliser and to generate renewable gas. The company is also committed to social responsibility and has replaced its three litre PET bottles with 2.5l bottles, so that 43m fewer units of alcohol are consumed per year.

Amorim Sustainability Award for Wine – VSPT Wine Group

Our winner in the wine category was Chile’s VSPT Wine Group, whose pitch impressed our judges. With over a decade of dedication to sustainable practices, the topic remains a top priority for VSPT, influencing every aspect of the company. Keen to reduce its carbon footprint as much as possible, VSPT has set a goal to be powered by 100% renewable energy by 2021, and has installed solar panels at nine of its estates. In addition, in 2016 the wine giant built the world’s first biogas plant that uses harvest waste to create clean energy and is on track to recycle or reuse 100% of its waste by 2021. VSPT is also a champion of biodiversity, and has, to date, planted over 11,530 native plants and trees of 35 different species through its conservation work. Another of its big focuses has been working with the local community to plant a Mapuche vineyard in Chile’s unexplored Malleco Valley. Commendation – Napa Valley Vintners Trade association Napa Valley Vintners was commended for its “extremely strong” entry and admirable commitment to getting all 550 of the California wine region’s member vintners involved in sustainable initiatives via its Napa Green certification programme. Since its inception, over 70% of Napa’s vineyard land, equivalent to 32,000 acres, has achieved Napa Green certification, and as of this year, nearly 80% of eligible members are participating in the programme. Having recently signed up to the Porto Protocol, Napa Valley Vintners has asked its member wineries to receive their power from 100% renewable energy sources in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Commendation – Symington Family Estates Our judges also commended Symington Family Estates – the first winery in Portugal to achieve B Corporation status – an international accreditation that recognises the commitment to a more sustainable way of doing business. Since 2015 the firm has reduced its per bottle carbon emissions by 23% via the installation of solar panels and greater efficiencies in the production and transportation process. The company has recently formed a 17-strong sustainability team focusing on specific areas, from biodiversity to water management, and has devised a ‘Mission 2025’ plan that takes in everything from electric cars and forest regeneration to low-impact packaging. Commend – Glengoyne Distillery Last but not least, Highland single malt distillery Glengoyne received a commendation for its strong entry that tackled several aspects of sustainability, from wind power to waste management. From this autumn, 100% of the distillery’s energy needs have been provided by wind power. And, thanks to the installation of an anaerobic digester, which converts the biproducts of mashing and distillation into electricity, Glengoyne has been able to power homes close to the distillery. The company also supports the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, and has campaigned to save the endangered Greenland white-fronted goose after which the distillery is named. It is the first distillery in Scotland to adopt a wetlands facility – boasting 14,500 plants of 20 species – to filter its waste liquid through. Most recently, Glengoyne has developed new recyclable packaging for its single malts that is set to launch early next year. Shortlist Glengoyne Distillery Greensand Distillery Flor de Caña VSPT Wine Group Sonoma-Cutrer Symington Family Estates Aston Manor Cider Napa Valley Vintners

Amorim Biodiversity Award – Spier Wines

A hot topic for this year, the judge’s praised our winner’s “strong entry” and the fact that the company “went above and beyond” in its plight to increase biodiversity at the South African estate, which dates back to 1692. Considering its ecosystems its “honoured first residents”, Spier is dedicated to conserving and enhancing sites on its farm that are rich in fynbos vegetation through replanting programmes. Going a step further, Spier has a permanent team of 30 employees dedicated to the propagation and replanting of indigenous, endemic and endangered plant species. Its nursey has planted over 53,200 different trees, shrubs and fynbos on the farm since 2012, encouraging members of the local community to take part in tree growing in exchange for food vouchers and education fees, as part of its “Tree-preneurs” project. It has also planted wide ‘nature corridors’ surrounding the vineyards to act as wind breaks. One of its greatest focuses recently is the clearing, cleaning and replanting of the Eerste River to attract animal and bird life back to the area. Commendation – Concha y Toro Concha y Toro was commended for championing biodiversity as one of the key pillars of its sustainability strategy. Its Native Forest Conservation Programme seeks to protect 3,272 hectares of native forest surrounding its vineyards in Chile’s Central Valley, conserve the biodiversity within its ecosystems, and protect its endangered species. Commendation – Warners Distillery Also receiving a commendation was gin maker Warners for its ‘Operation honeybee’ initiative that aims to alleviate some of the pressures facing bee populations by encouraging fans of its gin to plant the wildflower seeds that come with bottles of its Honeybee gin – the equivalent of nine acres of wildflowers sown across the UK (if everyone plants their seeds). Foraging locally for its botanicals, Warners has increased the number of honeybee colonies on its farm to 23, each of which has a bee population of 50,000 during the height of the summer. Its next biodiversity-led focus is managing existing wildflower habitats, and hedgerow conservation alongside the People’s Trust for Endangered Species.

Green Personality of the Year – Kris Beal, executive director of Vineyard Team

Our winner, Kris Beal, has over 20 years of experience as executive director of California-based Vineyard Team, a firm dedicated to promoting sustainable winegrowing through research, education and grower-to-grower networking. Beal played a pivotal role in the development of the Positive Points Scheme – a self-assessment tool for vineyards using a whole farm integrated approach to management. Since founding the initiative, there have been over 1,000 evaluations across 60,000 acres of land. Beal also played a role in the development of the ‘SIP’ certification in 2008 – a meaningful third party certification for sustainable wine production. Today, over 43,000 acres and 36 million bottles of wine meet the certification’s strict standards that address everything from air quality and habitat protection to water conservation. Just last month Beal hosted the International Sustainable Winegrowing Summit, which brought together experts in the field from across the US.

db to celebrate the greenest in drinks

Patrick Schmitt — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 15:59:16 +0000

The drinks business will be celebrating the heroes of the beer, wine and spirits industry championing sustainable initiatives at our 10^thannual Green Awards ceremony next week at The Club at The Ivy in London’s Covent Garden.

Awards will be given in a number of categories, from water management, biodiversity and sustainability, to renewable energy implementation. Members of the UK drinks trade interested in attending the awards ceremony, which takes place on Wednesday 11 December at 3-5pm, should email Isabel Distin on: isabel.distin@unionpress.co.uk The drinks business is particularly grateful to our brilliant line-up of partners for 2019’s Green Awards, which include Amorim, Jackson Family Wines, Pol Roger Portfolio, and ProWein. For more information about The Drinks Business Green Awards, click here, and to see last year’s winners click here. Meanwhile, click here to see the shortlist for this year's awards.

Green Awards 2019: the shortlist announced

Patrick Schmitt — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 11:14:59 +0000

Having concluded an extended judging process, we are pleased to announce the shortlist for The Drinks Business Green Awards 2019, which are designed to celebrate those brands and businesses that are doing as much as possible to reduce their impact on the environment.

The winner in each category will be announced during an awards ceremony on Wednesday 11 December between 3 and 5pm at The Club at The Ivy in London, where leading representatives from across the drinks industry will gather to toast the recipients of this year’s awards. We have listed below all the companies that have been shortlisted for this year’s awards, except for those entered into the personality categories, who will be revealed on the night should they be recipients of an award. The judges were particularly impressed at the quality of the entries this year, and it was clear that environmentally-aware businesses are focused on all aspects of being green, not just reducing carbon emissions. It was also apparent that entrants, for the most part, had considered their pitch carefully, giving them the best chance possible of picking up an award. However, to win big in the Green Awards, it is vital that you address comprehensively the requirements of the category, and give measurable evidence of change over the past three years, and particularly in the past 12 months, because these awards are given on an annual basis. If you want to see the categories in full, please click here, while if you want some tips on ‘how to win’, please click here. If you would like to attend the awards ceremony, please contact Sophie Allan at sophie.allan@unionpress.co.uk or call the drinks business on +44 (0)2078032420. For more information about The Drinks Business Green Awards, click here, and to see last year’s winners click here. The drinks business is particularly grateful to our brilliant line-up of partners for 2019's Green Awards, which include Amorim, Jackson Family Wines, Pol Roger Portfolio, and ProWein.

This year’s shortlisted entries are as follows, listed in alphabetical order

Accolade Wines
Altia Spirits (Kroskenkorva Vodka)
Aston Manor Cider
Australian Vintage
Avallen Spirits
Bonterra Organic Vineyards
Concha y Toro
Elephant Gin
Emiliana Vineyards
Familia Torres winery
Fetzer Vineyards
Flor de Cana
Garçon Wines
Glengoyne Distillery
Greensand Distillery
Hallgarten Wines
Honest Grapes
Hillebrand
Lanchester Wines
Lightweight Containers
Loop Gin
Marks & Spencer
Napa Valley Vintners
Pernod Ricard Finland
Pernod Ricard Winemakers
RedHeads Wine
Santa Rita Estates
Scheid Family Wines
Small Beer Brew Co.
Sonoma-Cutrer
Spier Wines
Symington Family Estates
Tenute Lunelli
The Wine People (Purato)
Viña Maipo
Vineyard Team
VSPT Wine Group
Warner’s Distlllery
Yealands Estate

The Drinks Business Green Awards 2019 is the world’s largest programme to raise awareness of green issues in the drinks trade and recognise and reward those who are leading the way in sustainability and environmental performance. For more information please call +44 (0) 20 7803 2420 or email lewis@thedrinksbusiness.com or rhiannon.morris@unionpress.co.uk

ProWein becomes partner for The Green Awards 2019

Patrick Schmitt — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 10:09:45 +0000

ProWein has become the latest organisation to support The Drinks Business Green Awards as topics from renewables to organics become increasingly important for the wine industry.

In a marketing partnership agreed this week, ProWein will join a select group of high-profile businesses who have put sustainability at the heart of their operations and chosen to partner the Green Awards – which are the only set of industry gongs dedicated solely to environmental initiatives within the drinks sector. Outlining the reasons for partnering with the Green Awards, ProWein pointed out that organic wine has become a major part of the annual trade fair, which takes place from 15-17 March in Düsseldorf. Over the past decade, the number of organic wines at the show has more than doubled, with 130 exhibitors present at ProWein in 2009, and as many as 290 in this year’s edition. Formalising a focus on organic wine, in 2017, ProWein launched Organic World, which currently includes around 40 exhibitors, including names such as Peter Riegel, Naturian and Vivolovin, and comes with the support of organic and biodynamic associations, such as ECOVIN, Bioland and Demeter (Germany), DiVIBIO and FIFI (Italy), Vignerons de Nature and BioDyvin (France). Furthermore, while ProWein always commissions a major piece of industry research in time for release at is Germany-based fair, this year it has chosen climate change as the topic for the study, which is destined for release in November. Using once again the team at Geisenheim University, the study, called the ProWein Business Report, has surveyed more than 2,000 experts in the wine industry on international wine markets and trends, but with a number of additional questions on the subject of climate change and its impact on the wine industry. The results will be presented on 21 November at the international ProWein Media Summit at the Geisenheim University of Applied Sciences. ProWein in Düsseldorf is the world’s leading trade fair for wine and spirits, featuring as many as 7,000 exhibitors from 60 nations spread across 10 halls. The next fair sees ProWein celebrates its 25th anniversary, and will run from 17-19 March 2020. The Drinks Business Green Awards 2019 is the world’s largest programme to raise awareness of green issues in the drinks trade and recognise and reward those who are leading the way in sustainability and environmental performance. Along with ProWein, other partners of the Green Awards are Jackson Family Wines, Pol Roger Portfolio and the world’s largest cork producer, Amorim. Those wishing to enter the Green Awards – giving them the potential to feature at an awards ceremony in London in November, and in the drinks business, both online and in print – should please call +44 (0) 20 7803 2420 or email lewis@thedrinksbusiness.com or rhiannon.morris@unionpress.co.uk To find out more about the Green Awards, including the categories, reasons for entering, and how to win, and enter online please click here. Read more NEW FOCUS ON ORGANIC WINES AND BAR TRENDS AT PROWEIN AMORIM CORK STOPPER PROVED CARBON POSITIVE TORRES AND JACKSON FAMILY WINES FORM CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION GROUP

Sense and sustainability: How wine producers are protecting the environment

db staff writer — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 10:44:17 +0000

As we release our annual green issue this month, we asked wine producers from around the world about what initiatives they have put in place to ensure their wineries are run sustainably.

Stefano Ferrante, chief winemaker, Zonin1821

“At Zonin1821, we are strongly focused on promoting a green culture. The Tuscan estates in our portfolio, Castello di Albola and Rocca di Montemassi, were among the first in Italy to obtain the Equalitas certification, which focuses on the environmental, social and economic sustainability of wineries, with the support of the UIV – Union of Italian Wine Companies. The companies must quantify the impact of measurable and objective parameters related to their production activities, taking in biodiversity, pest management, water footprint, carbon footprint, interaction with the community, and the social impact of the company, to evaluate the sustainability status of best practices adopted in the vineyards and winery. With water saving, our estates use the drip irrigation method managed by the Vintel digital programme, which allows rationalised irrigation based on forecast weather. Special pressure chambers allow the level of hydration of individual vines to be measured, guaranteeing irrigation only when necessary.”

Carlos de Jesus, director of marketing and communication, Amorim & Irmãos

“Sustainability is at the heart of our entire operation, starting with the fact that cork oaks are a natural and native species to the areas where we source our raw material. If you are making the world’s most environmentally friendly, natural bottle closures, then your production methods should be as green as possible. That way, we can provide the best solutions for any winery seeking to improve their sustainability credentials. After all, if they are working hard to offer sustainably produced wines for eco- conscious retailers and consumers, then the closure must be real cork, with all its proven added value advantages. At the same time, ease of recycling is becoming a key issue – particularly in light of alternative metal stoppers and the growing furore over plastics. Several hundreds of millions of corks have already been recycled worldwide and ground down for secondary applications, from flooring to sandals.”

Pedro Salguero, chief winemaker, Bodega Ijalba

“Our aim is to protect and respect the characteristics of our land, which is why in 1998 we became the first organic-certified winery in Rioja. The water used in the winery has been purified and gathered to hydrate the vineyards and refrigerate the tanks during fermentation. The stems from pruning are used to fertilise our vineyards. We’re lowering our carbon footprint by reducing the weight of our glass bottles and the thickness of our packaging.”

Elena Carretero, director of sustainability, Santa Rita

“Sustainable development is the main pillar of Santa Rita’s strategic map. We have put in place a sustainability programme of initiatives with a special emphasis on creating shared values with our community and improving the lives of our workers and their families. Our WiSe project stems from the need to produce wines of the best quality and optimal productivity. We analyse the soils to select the best variety and rootstock, considering geology, soils, exposure to the sun, irrigation and the plant itself. We optimise the use of our resources, ensuring the long- term sustainability of our grape supply. We have also implemented procedures to optimise energy and water efficiency in our vineyards, cellars and production plants.”

Johan Delport, chief winemaker, Waverley Hills

“Waverley Hills has been at the forefront of sustainable and organic farm practises for years, and produces quality certified organic wines. Situated in the Tulbagh Valley in the Western Cape in South Africa, the area receives around 550mm of rain per year. Seven years ago the estate embarked on a programme to conserve irrigation water by laying down shade cloth on the soil in the vineyards. Strips of 1.5 metres are laid underneath the vines and are kept in place by applying small amounts of soil on the ends of the cloth. With this process the sun gets blocked out by the shade cloth, which prevents weeds from growing underneath it. The permeability of the cloth allows the irrigation water to go through to the soil and feeds the vines’ roots. The cloth also prevents evaporation, keeping the soil moist and cool, which helps preserve the amount of irrigation water that needs to be given to the vines. The project has been a pioneering initiative for the South African wine industry.”

Jean-Claude Mas, owner, Domaines Paul Mas

“Rural luxury is our philosophy, and it starts with the assertion that biodynamism is a means, not an end. It is the means of becoming truly respectful of the environment to produce grapes in the most natural way possible, but without any of the confines of certification. Any certification must answer the question: what is the best way to grow the crop to be able to offer a wine that is tasty and produced in a healthy way? I have banned the use of herbicides, insecticides and a number of synthetic materials used for protection against fungal infections in my vineyards. Our vines have become stronger as a result. A true organic farming regime is the combination of agricultural practices that respect the environment, allied to technical and technological advances.”

Miguel A. Torres, president, Familia Torres

“Our Torres & Earth programme has the objective of reducing our CO2 emissions per bottle from the vineyard to the final transportation by 30% by 2020. Since 2008, we have invested more than €12 million (£10.8m) in the project and, so far, have reduced our carbon emissions per bottle by 25.4%. Torres & Earth has a relatively wide approach and includes renewable energies, eco-efficiency in transport, optimisation of water use, adaption measures in the vineyards, and biodiversity, which includes forest stewardship and reforestation. In 2017 we started a Carbon Capture and Reuse programme, experimenting with different CCR technologies to find ways of making use of the CO2 produced from fermentation. We also switched to organic viticulture in the 1980s.”

Sebastian Tramon, sustainability manager, Viñedos Emiliana

“At Emiliana we believe that organic and biodynamic practices are the key to working in a sustainable way, particularly when it comes to the regeneration and care for our soils. Hence, we are improving the way we produce compost, which is the main food for the soils in our vineyards. We are working with consultants, other companies and research centres to achieve this goal. The biodiversity under the soil is important to us, so we are devoted to understanding what is living in our soils and how we can increase the presence of beneficial microorganisms. We also believe that in soils there is an opportunity to avoid emissions of greenhouse gases. By constantly adding organic matter to our soils we are helping to stabilise carbon that otherwise would go into the atmosphere.”

Anne Bousquet, owner and CEO, Domaine Bousquet

“Sustainability includes economic sustainability for the surrounding community. When we settled in Tupungato, Chile, the area was a rural backwater. We joined an alliance of local wineries in funding the construction of a new road, providing better access for employees, deliveries and a growing number of tourists. Our crops are grown in harmony with nature without using any chemicals. Instead, we use natural fertilisers, including our own compost. We also take care of water shortages by investing in water treatment facilities to minimise our consumption and reuse it for irrigation. We only use lightweight glass bottles for our entire portfolio. Being organic was never a sales gimmick. Stewardship of the land is a necessity. Unlike many wineries, whose organic wines are a line within the portfolio mix, Domaine Bousquet’s fruit has been 100% organic from the off.”

Bárbara Wolff, chief corporate affairs officer, VSPT Wine Group

“Sustainability is a strategic priority for VSPT. In the past decade, our initiatives have been based on water management and balanced agricultural practices. This includes a large-scale biodiversity programme at Viña Tarapacá at our Rosario estate in the Maipo Valley. Carbon-footprint management has also been a priority, mainly through the generation of renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects. We have taken up the challenge of producing wine using 100%- renewable energy by 2021. To achieve this, we are employing a mixture of clean energies, including bioenergy from our biogas plant at Viña San Pedro, as well as two important solar energy projects. We hope to continue growing along this path to help keep our magnificent wine industry running in a healthy, friendly, eco-conscious way.”

Valentina Lira, sustainability manager, Concha y Toro

“In 2012, Concha y Toro developed a sustainability strategy that has six pillars: supply chain, product, clients, people, society and environment. The company has set out to achieve a 100% supply of electricity based on renewable energy by 2020. Last year, 73% of our supply was renewable energy. In 2018 the winery launched the Concha y Toro factory initiative to enhance entrepreneurship. This aims to transform us into a start-ups business accelerator, which allows different entrepreneurs to be brought closer to the company, giving them the possibility to work together in the co-creation of solutions for Concha y Toro and gain experience. We believe we have made progress, but the journey is still full of challenges that the company must tackle to transform itself into a world-class business known for its sustainable practices. That is our greatest aim.”

Cindy Devries, Chief Operating Officer, Fetzer Vineyards

“Operating sustainably at Fetzer Vineyards is something we accomplish with the support and collaboration of our entire organisation. We have a full-time colleague dedicated to identifying and solving complex sustainability issues while pioneering regenerative practices in the wine industry. Supporting her efforts is a cross- departmental group that develops sustainability-focused initiatives, and shares ideas for engaging employees in sustainability efforts. Building on 50 years of sustainable practices, during which time we have successfully developed Bonterra into a global leader in organic wine, and have operated on renewable energy for nearly three decades, today we’re looking to share our findings to inspire others to pursue sustainable practices.”

Green Awards 2018: the winners revealed

Patrick Schmitt — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 12:58:34 +0000

We profile the most ethical and environmentally friendly drinks companies of 2018 as we reveal the winners of this year’s Green Awards by the drinks business.

Following an awards ceremony yesterday afternoon at The Ivy in London, we can now state that California is source of the most certified-sustainable wine of any region in the world; that Chile is a pioneer in the promotion of biodiversity in vineyards, and England is home to this year’s most environmentally-friendly wine business, while a distillery in Finland is 2018’s Green Company of the Year. The results were announced to all shortlisted entrants in this year’s Green Awards, along with key players in the wine and spirits trade, and a collection of past winners in the awards, which have been held each year since 2010. Speaking at the start of the event, I stressed the fact that these awards, despite their eight-year history, are still the only set of industry gongs dedicated exclusively to all that’s green and alcoholic. While it’s a great position for us to be in, I am surprised there aren’t more organisations rewarding environmentally-sound drinks operations – after all, being sustainable is the topic of our time. Thankfully, our annual awards celebrate the eco-conscious and ethical, and in doing so, draw attention to green leaders in the hope that this will encourage others to follow in their sustainable footsteps, and improve the overall image of wines, beers and spirits. Importantly, there were some inspirational recipients this year, who prove that being green doesn’t just mean a bit of light-weighting and tree-planting. As I’ve said before, if you’re going to play the sustainable card, you must consider all aspects of your operations – whether that’s energy use and generation, waste treatment, recycling rates, transport type, packaging weight and, importantly, how you can actually benefit your surroundings, socially and environmentally. In terms of packaging, already drinks have a head start, and that’s because wines and spirits generally use glass, which may not be as light as plastic, but is a material that’s both inert and easily recycled. We also use cork, which may not be perfect, but is a natural, biodegradable material that supports both extremely diverse ecosystems, as well as skilled agricultural labourers in poor and sparsely-populated parts of southwestern Europe. However, in wine production specifically, we do use large amounts of water, and potentially damaging environmental inputs in the form of fungicides, pesticides and weed-killers. Reducing water use and fungicide applications is a must, while, due to the advance in soil management techniques, it is now unacceptable for any winegrowing business to be applying poisonous chemicals to ground-cover plants. Businesses, whatever the drinks sector, need to find ways to be sustainable from an economic as well as environmental perspective – and if margins are so low that corner-cutting comes at the expense of caring for employees and the natural environment, then one must question the business model. With importers, distributors, retailers and consumers increasingly demanding ethically-sourced products that do as little as possible to pollute their environs, producers in all sectors of drinks industry must improve their green credentials to survive in the long term. With that said, let us consider the greenest beacons in the business, be they generic organisations and major multinationals, or small vineyards and brand start-ups. Before we do, db would like to state its thanks to our judges in 2018’s awards, along with our lead sponsor, Amorim, for its continued support of the sustainability and biodiversity awards, and the provision of cork-framed certificates for all our winners. We are also extremely grateful to Ty Nant for the water, Gerard Bertrand for white, red and rosé from their Domaine Cigalus and Chateau la Sauvageonne wine estates, and Drappier for the sustainably-made Champagne. If you want to see the categories in full, please click here, or, for some tips on ‘how to win’, please click here, and for more general information about The Drinks Business Green Awards, click here. The winners of this year's awards are featured below, and, if you want to see last year’s winners please click here.

Logistics and Supply Chain Green Initiative of the Year

Winner: JF Hillebrand Shipping by road, rail and sea is vital to many industries, the wine industry very much among them. But the more that is shipped the greater the carbon footprint. It has been estimated that if left unregulated sea-shipping alone could be responsible for 17% of CO2 emissions by 2050. In April of this year the International Maritime Organisation adopted a new Greenhouse Gas emissions strategy aimed at cutting shipping emissions and JF Hillebrand has responded by creating a new order management platform, myHillebrand, that documents the carbon emissions for every beverage consignment it handles – an entirely original feature. As such, Hillebrand’s customers are now able to calculate their carbon footprint and the and take the necessary steps to reduce the impact of their operations. On top of this JF Hillebrand’s own goal is to reduce its carbon emissions by 45% from their 2008 levels by 2025. By introducing measures such as ‘myHillebrand’ it is hoped that both it and its clients will be able to work together to make better shipping decisions with less of an environmental impact.

Green Launch of the Year

Winner: 10 International for Sea Change The release of the BBC’s Blue Planet II last year brought about a notable change in attitudes towards the health of the world’s oceans and, in particular, the effect upon it of plastics. Riffing on this proverbial sea change is 10 International and its new range, ‘Sea Change’ – a series of three wines designed to reduce packaging waste and support ocean conservation. The bottles are made from 85% recycled glass and are lightweight to help minimise emissions. The labels are produced from a mixture of grape waste (15%) and materials from FSC certified forests. For every bottle sold, 25 euro cents will be donated to two UK charities: Plastics Oceans UK and Sea-Changers which work to not only raise awareness of the impact of plastics in the sea but also to reduce that effect through beach clean-ups and supporting conservation efforts. The judges were highly impressed with the launch commenting on its timeliness and that it was “really tapping into the zeitgeist”. The wines themselves, a white, a red and a rosé, are sourced from Château Canet in Minervois where the vines are farmed sustainably. Commendation: Vintage Roots for Wild Thing In a similar vein, the judges wished to commend a similar range of wines from longstanding organic wine retailer, Vintage Roots. Its ‘Wild Thing’ range was developed in association with The Born Free Foundation to help raise funds to support animal conservation around the world. Furthermore, the wines are all carbon offset, Vintage Roots having offset its carbon footprint since 2005. To revitalise the brand and reinforce its message, BD Creative were brought in for a redesign this year, which has led to an increase in sales of 35% this August/September, compared with the same period last year. The wine is now stocked in 114 outlets across the UK and the Prosecco label will be redesigned next year.

Organic Initiative of the Year

Winner: Waitrose for ‘Just for you’ organic wine competition UK supermarkets have worked overtime to bolster their drinks ranges with more organic products, and none more so than Waitrose, whose efforts came to fruition this year and helped the grocer win this year’s award for Best Organic Initiative. The company has the largest range of organic wines of any UK supermarket with 55 available, adding 36 in one year alone. In the last 12 months the Waitrose increased its efforts to make organic drinks visible, publishing a sales report outlining their performance in-store earlier this year, as well as offering customers a 25% discount on organic wines throughout October, but it was the supermarket’s ‘Just For You’ competition that impressed the judges, which saw more than 5,200 attempt to win a case of 12 organic wines. The speed at which Waitrose has ramped up its offering shows a sustained commitment to a broad and compelling organic drinks offer.

The Renewable Energy Implementation Award

Winner: Viña San Pedro, VSPT Wine Group This year’s winner has been focused on developing initiatives to improve its sustainable development for the past 10 years. Chile’s VSPT Group has already proposed a goal to using 100% renewable energy by 2021, a pledge which started in 2016 with the opening of Viña San Pedro winery, which benefits from the first Biogas Plant in the wine industry. Using organic waste from harvest as the only fuel, the facility is capable of generating 1 MW power each month, providing 60% of the winery’s energy consumption. The group also introduced a mini hydroelectric plant at its El Rosario estate in 2016, enabling it to harness the water flow from the Maipo River to generate 250 KW of electric energy, providing 60% of the winery’s energy consumption. To meet its 2021 goal, the group plans to install solar panels at all of its estates, with energy generated used to power technical irrigation and a smaller winemaking operation at Viña San Pedro in Cachapoal. This project will allow it to generate a further 2.6 MW per month – equivalent to the consumption of 1,844 homes. In addition, a further solar panel project will be implements at Viña San Pedro in 2019, capable of generating 1.3 MW electric power for the winemaking operations at the winery. Our judges were impressed by the level of investment made by VSPT, which was done so with a clear goal in mind. Most importantly, the strategy employed by VSPT was practical in its approach, with the company not choosing to hitch its wagon to just one technology, but across biomass, hydro and solar, which judges noted to be a wise move when operating in a country that can periodically be impacted by both El Nino and La Nina climactic cycles. Commendation: Australian Vintage Ltd A commendation goes to Australian Vintage, which in the past year has accelerated its environmental agenda across its wineries with a raft of sustainability initiatives as part of a significant investment, having installed major solar energy projects at three sites across Australia. In February 2018, we completed the final phase of our 1.65MW solar installation at our Buronga Hill facility, which is the third largest winery in Australia. The investment means Australian Vintage now has one of the largest privately-owned solar parks at an Australian winery. Solar power panels now supply approximately 30% of the winery’s annual electricity usage, with significant savings in CO2 greenhouse emissions. Solar panels have also been installed at its Merbein packaging facility, which has cut electricity usage by 10%, and it is in the process of installing further panels at its Hunter Valley winery and McGuigan Cellar Door, due to be completed in December. Thais will cut electricity usage at that site by up to 40%. The company has also stepped-up its waste-water management system, using the nutrient-rich water from its winery operations to irrigate a 50-acre wood and a newly established 50-acre vineyard at the winery. While the breadth of its efforts were applauded, it was the size and scale of the company’s solar panel installations that most impressed judges, demonstrating significant investment and dedication to long-term sustainability. Shortlist: Altia Plc Australian Vintage Ltd Pernod Ricard Winemakers Viña San Pedro, VSPT Wine Group

The Water Management Award

Winner: Jackson Family Wines Passionate about making wine in the most responsible manner, Jackson Family Wines has shown an impressive commitment to valuing precious water resources. It has reduced its water consumption by around 34%, saving around 31 million gallons of water a year since 2008, while simultaneously boosting production. This admirable feat has come through tracking water usage, boosting efficiency, and utilizing new barrel washing and other technologies, such as vertical reverse osmosis membranes, to recycle water up to ten times. Investing in vineyard water conservation, it also captures rainwater for the cooling towers and reuses winery water for irrigation, measures that have enabled the company to use only 3.9 gallons of water to produce a gallon of water - around half the amount of the US industry average. It also supports local tributaries, working with the National Marine Fisheries Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife to protect salmon habitats, and supports the recharging of local groundwater aquifers. Commendation: Chivas Brothers Scotch whisky producer Chivas Brothers was highly commended for measures that will see it achieve a net reduction in water consumption of 20% by 2020. Annual water mapping at its Dalmunach distillery have minimized its impact on its water source, the River Spey, while collecting rainfall from site roadways alleviates high flows and ensures no pollution enters the river from the site. It is also sponsoring research by a PhD student from Aberdeen University into water catchment and hydrological models at The Glenlivet. Shortlist: Chivas Brothers Jackson Family Wines Pernod Ricard Winemakers Spain

Amorim Sustainability Award for a Generic Organisation

Winner: California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance This generic organisation impressed judges with its dedication to sustainable winegrowing in California, and proven results in encouraging producers to convert their vineyards to accredited sustainable practices. In just 15 years, the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) has made a significant impact on its region, promoting more environmentally friendly practices within the wine trade, while supporting efforts to protect its environment. Judges applauded the organisation for its top down approach, considering all aspects of sustainability, with its entry backed up with lots of figures outlining its clear successes in 2017. Among the organisation’s milestones of 2017 and 2018 was its continued growth of its Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (Certified Sustainable) accreditation, its Down to Earth campaign – a month-long celebration of sustainable winegrowing – as well as its on-going Outreach and Education programme to help better inform and advance the industry. Through annual third-party audits, its Certified Sustainable accreditation provides assurances relating to the sustainability of a producer’s soil health, water and energy use, habitat and human resources. Certified vineyards and wineries must also measure resources and performance and improve annually. In 2017, CSWA released the first Certified Sustainable Annual Report, highlighting a 46% increase in the number of certified vineyards and 20% increase in the number of certified wineries. Currently, 60,671 hectares (149,922 acres) of vineyards are certified, and 209 million cases of wine are produced in a certified winery. In addition, in 2017 a new logo for the certification on wine labels was introduced to raise recognition and awareness of its brand. Already, more than 540,000 cases of 2017 vintage will carry the new logo. Commendation: Napa Valley Vintners Operating under the mantra to “promote, protect and enhance the Napa Valley”, Napa Valley Vintner impressed judges with their dedication and focus on sustainability. Established in 1944, its members are encouraged to adhere to the organisation’s Napa Green Certification Program – a comprehensive sustainability certification program for vineyards and wineries in the Napa Valley. Measures required include protecting and restoring the Napa River watershed; saving energy and water; reducing waste and carbon footprint; and being conscientious employers and good neighbours, with independent, third party certification audits carried out annually. In 2015, NVV set itself goal to have all eligible members (those who own 5 acres of vineyard land or a winery facility) signed up to a Napa Green programme by the end of 2020. Through dedicated marketing, PR and educational outreach efforts, the NVV has been able to dramatically increase participation from 30% in 2015, to 70% as of October 2018. Today, more than 55% of Napa Valley’s vineyard acreage has achieved Napa Green Land certification (NGCL), representing more than 24,000 vineyard acres and another 22,000+ acres of non-vineyard land across more than 400 properties. It has since set itself a target of 100% membership by 2022. Judges in particular praised the implementation of a simple and clear ‘100 measures’ initiative to Napa Green, encouraging members to meet clear criteria to reduce energy and increase water efficiency, reduce waste and cut greenhouse gas emissions. In just 28 months, the scheme has helped saved Napa Green wineries more than $500,000 in energy rate adjustments and identified rebate potential for efficiency upgrades, supporting the economic sustainability of the region.

Amorim Sustainability Award for a Company

Winner: Davenport Vineyards This year the Amorim Sustainability Award for a company went to English wine producer, Davenport Vineyards. Based in Kent, Davenport Vineyards was founded by winemaker Will Davenport in 1991 with a six-acre vineyard. It has since expanded to 24 acres, all of which were certified organic in 2000, and produces around 35,000 bottles of white, red and sparkling wines each year. Will is a passionate advocate of sustainable winemaking, believing that even the smallest of producers can make a big difference. The team only applies green waste compost and organic poultry manure to its vineyards, and vine health and vigour is recorded on an app allowing it to target compost applications. The vineyard has permanent green manure cover and vines are treated only with sulphur, copper, seaweed, and comfrey / nettle tea: no herbicides are used, avoiding the high-energy costs used in the production of NPK fertilisers and the risk of chemical run-off. The team minimise the use of copper each year, only spraying when required, and pesticides are avoided completely. The headlands and land around the vineyard are managed to encourage biodiversity, and the farm is in the UK’s Countryside Stewardship Scheme, with a new agreement planned for 2019. Wider measures include the use of solar panels, LED lighting and the use of lightweight glass bottles with minimal packaging. The winery itself is not heated, with wines fermented at ambient temperatures, and all chemicals are avoided in the winemaking process, while sulphite additions are minimal. Yeast is not added, along with fining agents, and wines are often bottled unfiltered. Furthermore, all of its wine is sold in the UK, the majority within just 100 miles of the winery. Demonstrating a strong commitment to a sustainable ethos, judges were particularly impressed by Davenport’s honest entry, where every element of its impact on the environment had been considered, and every action taken with a clear purpose toward becoming more sustainable. Furthermore, judges felt it done with the heart. Commendation: Pernod Ricard Winemakers Spain Wine giant Pernod Ricard was rewarded with a commendation in recognition of its dedication to creating a more sustainable future for its wineries in Spain. Its state-of-the-art winery, Bodegas Campo Viejo, opened in 2001 following the principles of sustainable architecture, seamlessly integrated with the environment to minimise its impact. It was the first Spanish winery to certify its Carbon Footprint to the ISO 14064 standard, meaning that the winery is constantly monitoring its greenhouse gas emissions to ensure it is sustainable. To offset its carbon footprint, 57 hectares of vineyard and 26 hectares of woodland surround the winery, with the aim of capturing carbon released during fermentation at the winery. A lot of organic by-products, such as leftover grape skins, are reused as fertilisers or sent to other companies who use them as raw material. Other actions taken include not using any boilers that use fossil fuels and reducing the weight of its bottles, from 550g to 380g, effectively reducing glass usage by a third. The winery limits water use to just 0.77l per bottle, compared with 2.25l used by most Spanish wineries, saving more than 20 Olympic pools of water every year. A network of water metres is positioned throughout the winery to ensure water consumption is kept to a minimum. The team also works closely with grape growers and suppliers to ensure they adhere to the sustainable guidelines of AENOR, the Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification. Overall, judges praised the company for its adoption of renewable energy and water saving initiatives, and loved the fact that it was apparent that the employees had really been involved in the company’s drive for sustainability. Shortlist: Altia Plc California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance Cono Sur Winery Davenport Vineyards Glengoyne Distillery Napa Valley Vintners Pernod Ricard Winemakers Spain

Amorim Biodiversity Award

Winner: Wine, Climate Change and Biodiversity Programme Another brilliant Chilean initiative, the Wine, Climate Change and Biodiversity Programme is a project based on a collaboration of 20 wineries that promotes the strategic use of nature within and around vineyards, thereby encouraging more biodiversity-rich wine landscapes. A total of 20 Chilean wineries of varying sizes are involved in the project that collectively account for 70% of Chilean wine exports. Among those involved are Santa Rita, Montes, Emiliana, Errazuriz and Concha y Toro. Importantly, whatever their size, they are all working towards the same credible environmental goals. Among the group’s current initiatives to encourage biodiversity are the introduction of conservation areas, building nest boxes for birds, the creation of biological corridors in the vineyards and planting cover crops between the vines. As part of the project, 26,499 hectares of Chilean forest has been protected by its partner wineries, which equates to an 11% increase in protected land within the Chilean Mediterranean forest area. In addition, four endemic threatened species thought to be extinct have been re-discovered, including the elusive güiña, the smallest wildcat in the Americas. It’s wonderful that 20 wineries should have gotten together to do this, after all, this is not done by a generic association; it’s a science-based winery initiative. The judges loved the video that came with the pitch, which featured people going out into the vineyards on horseback, rather than in vehicles. Commendation: Pernod Ricard Winemakers (Jacob’s Creek) Jacob’s Creek submitted a strong entry focused on the re-introduction and preservation of native species in and around the creek. Our judges wanted to commend it for working towards an ambitious and worthy 2020 plan to significantly enhance biodiversity at Jacob’s Creek in Australia’s Barossa Valley and have a lasting impact on the local ecosystem. Over 6,500 native plants have been established around the creek over the last two years, and native species populations are on the rise, particularly rare native fish. Shortlist: Nonni Strategic Marketing (for Ferrari Trentodoc) Pernod Ricard Winemakers Pernod Ricard Winemakers Spain Wine, Climate Change and Biodiversity Program Viña San Pedro, VSPT Wine Group

Ethical Company of the Year

Winner: Viña San Pedro, VSPT Wine Group From drinking responsibly to commiting to renewable energy VSPT Wine Group is something of a trailblazer when it comes to ethical winemaking. Having been named Green Company of the year in 2016 by the drinks business, VSPT has now committed to producing all of its wines using 100% renewable energy within the next three years. In 2015 Viña San Pedro began an innovative model of collaborative work with an indigenous Mapuche community in the south of Chile, called Buchahueico. The initiative, which sees VSPT help the community to cultivate its own vineyards and sell the yields back to the group for a fair price, has so far seen 10 hectares of Pinot Noir planted in the Malleco Valley, Araucanía region. Members of the community have to migrate to the city in search of working opportunities in the past, but VSPT’s project has allowed many to stay in their homeland, as well as helping them to farm sustainably. The first commercial harvest took place this year, and VSPT plans to bring the resulting wine to market in March next year. In doing this, the winery group efforts has managed combine sustainable drinks production with breaking down barriers between Chileans and the country’s indigenous people. Runner-up: Spier Wine Farm South Africa’s wine industry has struggled with severe challenges over the past few years, and not only has Stellenbosch-based Spier Hotel & Wine Farm thrived, it has done so with sustainability and altruism at its heart. In 2018, all Spier wines and offerings began displaying the Growing for Good icon – and subsequently launched a number of community-led initiatives as part of the Growing for Good campaign, which ranged from sourcing and training unemployed young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in their first jobs, to teaching impoverished communities how to look after indigenous plants which can be exchanged for essentials such as food vouchers, bicycles, educational support. Commendation: Pernod Ricard Winemakers USA In a category crammed with excellent contenders, the judges wanted to award a commendation to Pernod Ricard Winemakers USA for its generous and decisive actions following the wildfires in California last year. Shortlist: Co-op Elephant Gin Montes Pernod Ricard Winemakers USA Spier Wine Farm Viña San Pedro, VSPT Wine Group

Green Company of the Year

Winner: Altia Plc Nordic drinks company Altia Plc took the top spot due to the bio and circular economy employed at its Koskenkorva distillery in Finland - meaning that none of the 200 million kilos of Finnish grain it uses each year goes to waste. Around a quarter of the barley is used for grain spirit production, with a third used for animal feed and another 36% going to starch production for the packaging industry. Even the husk is used to fuel the bioenergy power plant that steams the distillation process, with the resulting ash used as a fertilizer. After collecting the Carbon Dioxide generated for greenhouse cultivation, its CO2 emissions have already come down by 56%, while increased energy efficiency has seen energy use drop by 5.5%. It is also committed to preventing nutrients leaching into the river and the Baltic sea by capturing carbon in the soil through better farming practices and avoiding wash-off into waterways. Runner-up: Pernod Ricard Winemakers Pernod Ricard Winemakers has gone beyond a commitment to improve water and energy efficiency, reduce waste and green house gas emissions, by embracing measures to boost biodiversity in areas local to its wine operations. This ranges from replanting unused land with native vegetation at Jacob’s Creek in Australia to providing nesting sites for endangered bird at the Kaituna Wetland in New Zealand. Other measures include going paperless at its distribution centres, moving to light-weight glass and implementing geothermal heating and cooling at its visitor centre in Spain. Commendation: Hallgarten & Novum Wines The judges also recognsied Hallgarten & Novum Wines for its environmentally-friendly redesign of its Luton admin centre, which significantly reduced energy consumption and led to the development of an environmental management system that oversaw ISO14001 certification. Shortlist: Altia Plc Angove Family Winemakers Conte Tasca d'Almerita Hallgarten & Novum Wines Pernod Ricard Winemakers The Sustainable Spirit Co

Green Retailer of the Year

Winner: Honest Grapes We were impressed with Honest Grapes’ goal and responsibility to minimise its impact on the environment. The retailer takes this plight so seriously that it recently conducted a grape to glass study in order to address various issues affecting its supply chain. The study led to three key goals going forward: only working with wineries that use sustainable production methods; reducing the movement of wine during the distribution process; and educating customers about the company’s green initiatives on the Honest Grapes blog via targeted posts that include tips on how customers can personally reduce their impact on the environment. In switching from Airpack to Natpack, the retailer has reduced its plastic use by 90% in wine deliveries that require repackaging. To avoid using refrigerated transport, Honest grapes schedules deliveries around weather conditions. Its in-bond wines are stored at Octavian, whose cellars are located 100 feet below the Wiltshire hills, meaning no additional energy is needed for temperature and humidity control. Looking ahead, Honest Grapes is considering taking on more wines packaged in the bag-in-box and flat-pack formats in order to further reduce its environmental impact by lessening its use of glass bottles.

Green Personality of the Year

Cindy DeVries, COO of Fetzer Vineyards This year’s personality was selected for her single-minded drive to ensure one business lives and breathes sustainability. Working within a major producer of organic and biodynamic grapes, she has devoted 25 years to this business, furthering its commitment to environmentally-responsible winegrowing, while successfully navigating two changes in ownership. This year, the operation, based in California, celebrates its 50th anniversary, having achieved both Zero Waste and Carbon Neutral certifications under our recipient’s management within the past three years. In the past year alone, DeVries has been instrumental in California’s commitment to adopt 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045, and in 2019, will be a speaker at Porto’s Climate Change Leadership conference.

Green Lifetime Achievement Award

José Roquette, founder of Esporão This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award went to a person who started life in banking but, since the 70s, has driven a successful wine business, while creating a green leader in the world of drinks production. Indeed, the business he founded in Portugal back in 1973 was a previous winner of our Sustainability Award, and has been a shortlisted company for other categories in former ceremonies, not least the winery’s worthy attempt to prevent the construction of the Tua Valley dam in the beautiful Douro Valley, near Porto, where our recipient was raised. At his winery estate, which is based in the Alentejo, he has created a wetland conservation area, and made the company the first in the wine business to join the ‘Countdown 2010’ biodiversity initiative, as well as converted his entire production to organic farming. In particular he has spearheaded an ampelographic vineyard to preserve almost 200 native Portuguese grape varieties, while, also, proving his socially-responsible bent, provided free English classes for his employees, while adopting an ethical business code. Now in his 80s, our recipient has done an enormous amount to further ecological and ethical initiatives in the wine business in Portugal, making him a very worthy recipient of 2018’s Green Lifetime Achievement Award.

About the db Green Awards

The drinks business has been a pioneering champion of green initiatives in all aspects of the drinks trade for more than a decade, beginning its promotion of the good work to advance sustainability in our industry with a ‘green issue’ in January 2007. This highlighted the efforts being made by companies to reduce carbon emissions during transport, improve soil health in viticulture, and advance sustainability more generally, especially through the adoption of lighter packaging. Then, in 2009, we published the trade’s first ever ‘Green List’, which was devised to draw attention to the world’s most environmentally-friendly personalities, be they at the helm of drinks retailers, associations or producers. Causing a huge stir in the global trade, it saw us rank those with the greatest influence on furthering green initiatives, featuring the likes of Wholefoods chairman John Mackey and climate change activist and Spanish wine industry legend Miguel Torres. One year later came our launch of the drinks industry’s inaugural Green Awards, designed to celebrate ‘the keenly green in drinks’, which has been running ever since – and is still the only set of industry gongs to reward all that is environmentally sensitive and socially-responsible. Over the past eight years, it has expanded to mark the growing importance of sustainability in drinks production and all other aspects of the trade, while also enlarging to celebrate particular aspects to the greening of operations, such as a shift to renewable energy, a move to enhance the efficient use of water, and those investments to augment biodiversity. Today, the Green Awards comprises as many as 12 categories, drawn up to reward businesses in a range of fields, along with brands from all sectors of the drinks industry, and, crucially, the personalities who are really making a difference to the sustainability of this trade. For more information about the Green Awards and to enter, contact: Lewis O’Sullivan on email at lewis@unionpress.co.uk Or Rhiannon Morris on email at rhiannon.morris@unionpress.co.uk Or call db on +44 (0)207 803 2420

Celebrate the drinks industry’s green leaders in London

Patrick Schmitt — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 12:18:53 +0000

Come and celebrate the drinks industry’s green leaders on Monday next week between 3 and 5pm at The Club at The Ivy in London.

The winner in each category of 2018's drinks business Green Awards will be announced during an awards ceremony at the famous restaurant on 19 November, where sustainably-sourced and delicious drinks will be served to the great, good, and eco-conscious of the wine, beer and spirits trade. This is an opportunity not only to network with leading industry figures in a magnificent setting, but also to learn about the greatest green initiatives in the drinks industry today. And this is your only chance to do so, after all, the drinks business Green Awards is the sole set of industry gongs dedicated exclusively to all that is environmentally sensitive, socially-responsible and alcoholic. So, please register your interest by contacting Sophie Allan at sophie.allan@unionpress.co.uk or call the drinks business on +44 (0)2078032420. For more information about the drinks business Green Awards, click here, and to see last year’s winners click here. Read more THE GREENEST DRINKS COMPANIES OF THE DECADE The companies shortlisted for this year’s awards ceremony can be seen below. 10 International Altia Plc Angove Family Winemakers Australian Vintage Ltd California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance Chivas Brothers (Text100) Co-op Cono Sur Winery Conte Tasca d’Almerita Davenport Vineyards Elephant Gin Esporão Ferrari Trento Fetzer Vineyards Glengoyne Distillery Hallgarten & Novum Wines Honest Grapes Jackson Family Wines JF Hillebrand Montes Napa Valley Vintners Pernod Ricard Winemakers Pernod Ricard Winemakers Spain Pernod Ricard Winemakers USA Spier Wine Farm The Sustainable Spirit Co Vintage Roots VSPT Wine Group Waitrose Wine, Climate Change and Biodiversity Program Click here to see all the categories in The Drinks Business Green Awards 2018

DB Green Awards 2018: The shortlist revealed

Patrick Schmitt — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 12:31:19 +0000

Having concluded the judging yesterday, we are pleased to announce the shortlist for The Drinks Business Green Awards 2018, which are designed to celebrate those brands and businesses doing as much as possible to reduce their impact on the environment.

The winner in each category will be announced during an awards ceremony on Monday 19 November between 3 and 5pm at The Club at The Ivy in London, where leading representatives from across the drinks industry will gather to toast the recipients of this year’s awards. We have listed below all the companies who have been shortlisted for this year's awards, except for those entered into the personality awards, which include The Drinks Business Green Personality Award, and The Lifetime Achievement Award. The judges were particularly impressed at the quality of the entries this year, and it was clear that environmentally-aware businesses are focused on all aspects of being green, not just reducing carbon emissions. It was also apparent that entrants, for the most part, had considered their pitch carefully, giving them the best chance possible of picking up an award. However, to win big in the Green Awards, it is vital that you address comprehensively the requirements of the category, and give measurable evidence of change over the past three years, and particularly in the past 12 months. If you want to see the categories in full, please click here, while if you want some tips on 'how to win', please click here. If you would like to attend the awards ceremony, please contact Sophie Allan at sophie.allan@unionpress.co.uk or call the drinks business on +44 (0)2078032420. For more information about The Drinks Business Green Awards, click here, and to see last year’s winners click here.

This year’s shortlisted entries are as follows, listed in alphabetical order

10 International Altia Plc Angove Family Winemakers Australian Vintage Ltd California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance Chivas Brothers (Text100) Co-op Cono Sur Winery Conte Tasca d'Almerita Davenport Vineyards Elephant Gin Esporão Ferrari Trento Fetzer Vineyards Glengoyne Distillery Hallgarten & Novum Wines Honest Grapes Jackson Family Wines JF Hillebrand Montes Napa Valley Vintners Pernod Ricard Winemakers Pernod Ricard Winemakers Spain Pernod Ricard Winemakers USA Spier Wine Farm The Sustainable Spirit Co Vintage Roots VSPT Wine Group Waitrose Wine, Climate Change and Biodiversity Program Click here to see all the categories in The Drinks Business Green Awards 2018

The greenest drinks companies of the decade

Patrick Schmitt — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 11:32:18 +0000

As we gear up for the eighth year of The Drinks Business Green Awards, we look back at the winners of the hotly-contested Green Company of the Year since 2010.

It should be said at the outset that db has been a pioneering champion of green initiatives in all aspects of the drinks trade for more than a decade, beginning its promotion of the good work to advance sustainability in our industry with a ‘green issue’ in January 2007. This highlighted the efforts being made by companies to reduce carbon emissions during transport, improve soil health in viticulture, and advance sustainability more generally, especially through the adoption of lighter packaging. Then, in 2009, we published the trade’s first ever ‘Green List’, which was devised to draw attention to the world’s most environmentally-friendly personalities, be they at the helm of drinks retailers, associations or producers. Causing a huge stir in the global trade, it saw us rank those with the greatest influence on furthering green initiatives, featuring the likes of Wholefoods chairman John Mackey and climate change activist and Spanish wine industry legend Miguel Torres. One year later came our launch of the drinks industry’s inaugural Green Awards, designed to celebrate 'the keenly green in drinks’, which has been running ever since – and is still the only set of industry gongs to reward all that is environmentally sensitive and socially-responsible. Over the past eight years, it has expanded to mark the growing importance of sustainability in drinks production and all other aspects of the trade, while also enlarging to celebrate particular aspects to the greening of operations, such as a shift to renewable energy, a move to enhance the efficient use of water, and those investments to augment biodiversity. Today, the Green Awards comprises as many as 12 categories, drawn up to reward businesses in a range of fields, along with brands from all sectors of the drinks industry, and, crucially, the personalities who are really making a difference to the sustainability of this trade. For now, however, db looks back over the winners in our Green Company category since 2010, beginning with last year’s recipient, and comprising businesses from British Columbia and the Western Cape, along with a carbon neutral spirits company from Finland. Before you review our past winners, we wish to remind you that entries for the Green Awards for 2018 are being accepted now until the end of September, and you can download an entry form here, or read more about the awards and the categories by clicking here. For more information and to enter, contact: Lewis O'Sullivan on email at lewis@unionpress.co.uk Or Rhiannon Morris on email at rhiannon.morris@unionpress.co.uk Or call db on +44 (0)207 803 2420

2017 Green Company of the Year: Villiera Wines

2017’s winner was a winery based in Stellenbosch, South Africa, that was founded in 1983 by cousins Jeff and Simon Grier. The pair established the winery with a plan to plant classic and local varieties, including Pinotage, Chenin Blanc and Muscat Ottonel, producing still wines as well as a range of Cap Classique sparklers. Called Villiera Wines, it was founded with sustainability and environmental conservation at its core. Notable iniaitives include the rehabilitation of old vineyards and the introduction of fallow land to provide a wildlife sanctuary (220 hectares) for game species including elands, zebras, springboks, gemsboks, bonteboks, giraffes, kudus and black wildebeest. . More than 100,000 indigenous trees have been planted in an attempt to add greenery and counter the producer’s carbon footprint. Villiera has also made strides towards controlling its water consumption, having installed a rainwater-harvesting system in 2016. In a normal rainfall year this provides 6,000,000 litres of quality rainwater. Its electricity, meanwhile, is generated from renewable solar energy, with the area of solar panelling at the estate increasing in 2017 to cover 1,155m2. Whether it is the wildlife sanctuary, the indigenous tree-planting programme, the newly expanded solar energy plant, or the just-installed rainwater harvesting system, the judges felt that this really was a worthy green winner for 2017.

2016 Green Company of the Year: VSPT Wine Group

Sustainability is woven into the ethos of Chilean giant VSPT and the company’s comprehensive approach to reducing its impact on the environment made it a clear winner. The opening of a Biogas Plant in 2016 was an industry first, ensuring that the winery is able to generate electricity and natural fertilizer from its own vineyard’s waste material. However, it also ticked a lot of other boxes – from lightweight packaging, to solar energy, biodiversity programmes to helping its suppliers with sustainability. As the judges pointed out, its significant reduction of water use in the vineyard is importantly for Chile, and there was convincing evidence of large savings in the last 12 months.

2015 Green Company of the Year: Phillips Brewing Co

Tucked away at the southern end of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Phillips Brewery made a powerful impact on the judges in the 2015 awards. This comprehensive entry revealed a company that conveys its deep-rooted environmentally friendly approach with infectious – but far from sanctimonious – enthusiasm. As part of an impressive waste reduction programme, Phillips has taken the step of designing its own CO₂ reclamation system, a pioneering example for smaller breweries. With green initiatives in place across every element of this company’s production and packaging operations, Phillips’ communication also carries a strong environmental accent. Its Benefit Brew project and sponsorship tie-ins point to a positive impact that reaches well beyond the brewery walls.

2014 Green Company of the Year: Yealands Family Wines

Describing this wine producer as “leaps and bounds ahead” of the competition, the judges were also inspired by the evident energy and passion for environmental practices that spreads throughout the company and into its local community. New initiatives at that time included the installation of New Zealand’s largest solar panel installation and a 50,000-tonne composting initiative developed in partnership with other local industries. Yealands stood out as an inspiring embodiment of its own company mantra: “Think boldy, tread lightly and never say it can’t be done.”

2013 Green Company of the Year: Jackson Family Wines

From pioneering hi-tech energy management systems to simple ideas such as nesting boxes, Jackson Family Wines demonstrated all the investment clout of a large company combined with the inventive enthusiasm usually associated with smaller operations. Jackson’s extensive research and development investments, such as its recent $3.5 million (£2.25m) contribution to the new Sustainable Winery Technology Center at UC Davis demonstrate a commitment to making a difference well outside the confines of its own business.

2012 Green Company of the Year: Pramia

Pramia, based in Jalasjärvi, Finland, is a producer of organic and conventional spirits, liqueurs and mixed drinks from the first carbon neutral production plant in Finland. The company’s entire operation runs solely on wind power and in February 2011 Pramia built a wind power plant that produces 1.2 million kWh of electricity every year. As just 50% of this is needed by the company, Pramia offers the rest to its employees and customers. Other measures taken by the company to reduce its impact on the environment included switching to recyclable PET packaging, fitting of LED lighting at its factory and using low-emission vehicles.

2011 Green Company of the Year: Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery

All the judges felt strongly that Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery should be 2011’s Green Company of the Year for its impressive environmental initiatives in the last 12 months and the scale of its carbon savings through the likes of lightweighting. “They are absolutely leading the field when it comes to the whole spectrum; there is no green wash at Cono Sur,” commented one judge. In particular, Cono Sur was applauded for being “innovative and impactful” in communicating its green credentials using branded pedicabs and bicycle-powered phone chargers at events.

2010 Green Company of the Year: Bodegas Torres

The judges were in no doubt as to the Torres commitment to all matters green. It has pioneered environmental causes in Spain and the Torres family are clearly dedicated to making their company the most effective in minimising their carbon emissions and waste, while at the same time improving their environmental credentials in new and interesting ways. For example, Torres already produces 50% of its hot water using solar power, and it is working on raising that to 70%. Head of the company, Miguel Torres Senior, was previously the highest ranking wine producer in db’s inaugural Green List, published in January 2007.

The greenest businesses of 2017

Patrick Schmitt — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 17:19:25 +0000

We bring you a full report on all the recipients from The Drinks Business Green Awards 2017, which were launched in 2010 to celebrate the most ethical and environmentally-friendly companies in wines, beers and spirits.

Despite launching seven years ago, we are proud to say that The Drinks Business Green Awards is still the only set of industry gongs dedicated exclusively to all that is alcoholic and ecologically-responsible. Like previous years, we honoured the winners at a ceremony at The Club at The Ivy in London, where recipients were toasted with Lanson's Green Label Brut organic Champagne by senior figures in the drinks industry. Categories cover all aspects of environmental, ethical and sustainable practice within the drinks trade, ranging from The Amorim Sustainability Award, which recognises the efforts made by one company, generic or brand to employ the most efficient and effective sustainable practices in their business, to The Renewable Energy Implementation Award, handed to a company that can best demonstrate its commitment to the implementation of viable renewable energy technologies to replace 'traditional' boilers, chillers and power sources. New to this year was The Amorim Biodiversity Award, which is designed to recognise a business that has done as much as possible to advance biodiversity both within the land it owns and, if possible, beyond its boundaries too. Over the following pages we bring you a run-down of all the winners from this year’s awards, which comprised drinks from across the world, including a wide range of companies and categories. Countries that performed particularly well included the US, with Napa Valley Vintners winning an ethical award for its fundraising efforts for the disadvantaged in this wine region, particularly victims of natural disasters as well as under-privileged children, who all receive health insurance thanks to the organisation. But it wasn’t just Napa that did well for the US, with California’s Fetzer Vineyards picking up both the Water Management Award and The Amorim Sustainability Award for Wine. Chile was another strong performer, with Palo Alto picking up an award for Best Green Launch with its ‘Enjoy Wine, Go Solar’ project, while Vinos de Chile picked up The Amorim Sustainability Award for a Generic Organisation. Elsewhere, New Zealand again showed strongly, with Pernod Ricard Winemakers New Zealand earning The Amorim Biodiversity Award, and Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) gaining the award for Best Green Initiative. Australia also featured, with John Angove named this year’s recipient of the Green Lifetime Achievement Award, while Champagne’s Michel Drappier was honoured with the title of Green Personality 2017. South Africa was also celebrated, with Villiera Wines winning the coveted Green Company of the Year award. Speaking at the awards presentation in London, Patrick Schmitt MW, editor-in-chief of the drinks business, stressed that all areas of a business must be environmentally sensitive to win in the Green Awards, mentioning the importance of not just carbon emissions, but also water use and waste treatment, as well as a company’s impact on its surroundings, pointing out that it was important that any business benefitted the local community socially and environmentally. db would like to thank Amorim for its continued support of The Green Awards. Not only does this Portuguese cork company sponsor the sustainability and biodiversity awards in The Drinks Business Green Awards, but it also provides cork frames for the certificates for all categories. db would also like to thank the suppliers of drinks for the awards ceremony, who were: • Ty Nant for the water (UK, Wales) • Champagne Lanson for the ‘Green Label’ organic Champagne (France) • Angove Family Winemakers for the organic Chardonnay and Shiraz (Australia) To see a list of awards categories click here, and you can view the winners of last year’s awards here. To enter the awards for 2018, please email Lewis O'Sullivan at lewis@unionpress.co.uk To enhance your chances of winning big in the Green Awards, entrants are urged to clearly demonstrate their commitment to sustainable business practices using case studies and numeric evidence of change for the better. The judges are looking for results over the past 12 months to prove that any efforts have resulted in social and environmental benefits on a local, or if applicable, national and international scale. Such evidence should be selected according to the focus of each award, and clearly outlined in an initial summary, as well as through further documentary evidence. In an attempt to make the Green Awards as green as possible, all entries must be submitted eletronically. This year's winners can be seen over the following pages, and within the January 'Green' issue of The Drinks Business.

Logistics and Supply Chain Green Initiative of the Year

Winner: JF Hillebrand A company dedicated to the drinks industry, JF Hillebrand has a Sustainable Development Programme in place with, among other goals, a plan to reduce its 2008 emissions level by 45% by 2025. To date its CO2 emissions have been lowered by 24% per container and the drive to push them ever lower was given a boost this June through a Carbon Pact partnership with Maersk Line to reduce emissions by an initial 20% per container from 2017-2015. Key areas in which Hillebrand has been able to tackle its emissions include: • Developing an aluminium insulation system that is 25% more carbon efficient than refrigerated containers. • Transporting by sea and rail rather than road. • Using wider pallets to maximise container capacity. The company’s two Flexitank recycling hubs in Bristol and Liverpool have recycled 900 tonnes of plastic so far in 2017 and it is now able to offer full recycling of the Flexitank material, container lining, elbow, bulkhead and backing plate. T he Carbon Calculator tool enables customers to calculate the footprint and impact of their shipments and in June of this year the International Organisation of Vine & Wine used data compiled by Hillebrand in its report on ‘Methodology for accounting for greenhouse gas balance in the viniculture sector.” Commendation: Lightweight Containers Finding that one-way kegs are more complex to recycle due to their composition, Lightweight Containers set about finding a new method of recycling them but also ensuring there was a collection system in place whereby the kegs could be collected without adding to CO2 emissions. The model currently being trialled in Amsterdam sees major beverage distributors collect empty casks on their rounds, compress them with a system provided by Lightweight and then deliver them back to Lightweight for full recycling, The success of the Amsterdam trial means it will be rolled out to other cities including London, Berlin, Rotterdam and Paris in early 2018. Shortlist • ARAEX Grands Spanish Fine Wines • JF Hillebrand • Lightweight Containers

Green Launch of the Year

Winner: Palo Alto for ‘Enjoy Wine, Go Solar’ by Quinta de Maipo In March of this year Chilean brand Palo Alto launched its Enjoy Wine, Go Solar programme, involving the installation of 16 photovoltaic panels, a three-phase inverter, and three heat pumps at the Santa Laura de Lo Figueroa, a local school in the Maule Valley where Palo Alto is located. The aim is to provide the school with hot water and considerably reduce its electricity consumption – providing more than 200 pupils, teachers and parents with clean, renewable energy. The winery communicated the campaign, its achievements and invited consumers to participate in over 35 markets worldwide. The initiative is the latest from Palo Alto which, since launching its first organic wine in 2011, also launched a campaign to plant 10,000 trees in Chilean Patagonia in 2014 and another in 2015 to provide access to clean drinking water throughout various locales in Chile. Shortlist: • Carel Industries for its Heez control of beverage coolers • Garçon Wines for its full-size flat wine bottle, and… • Palo Alto for ‘Enjoy Wine, Go Solar’ by Quinta de Maipo

Organic Initiative of the Year

Winner: Waitrose This year, just one company stood out for its work promoting the increasingly-fashionable organic drinks category. With 60 organic wines, beers and spirits in its portfolio, Waitrose has one of if not the largest range of organic drinks offered by a UK multiple grocer. Realising that in terms of the breadth of the range, its quality and integrity that it was a major asset, in September this year Waitrose made a concerted effort to promote its organic wine range (a total of 36 SKUs) making them more prominent on the shelf, adding neck collars during ‘Organic Month’ and advertising them in “eye-catching” ways both online and in its publications Waitrose Weekend and Waitrose Cellar. In just two weeks sales of 30 of the 36 wines saw sales increase of over 350%, while sales of the Tsantali Organic Cabernet Sauvignon from Greece were up 1,571%. “We are delighted with the performance of our organic wine range,” says wine buyer Maria Elener. “With sales of over 150,000 cases in the last year and growth of +20% so far this year, organic wine is one of our fastest growing categories. We believe that we can help make a real difference, encouraging more producers to become organic, and supporting customers to understand why purchasing organic benefits everyone.”

Renewable Energy Implementation Award

Winner: Serralles USA One of Puerto Rico’s most-historic rum producers and the drinks maker behind Don Q rum, Destilería Serralles, caught our judges’ attention this year for its novel and eco-friendly approach to an age-old problem in the business — evaporation. Serralles ages all its Don Q branded rum in American white oak barrels and stores them in large warehouses. However, the firm faces great challenges to make sure no rum goes to waste. Due to the high median temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit (F) year-round and the low humidity experienced in the south coast of Puerto Rico, where the distillery and the warehouses are located, Serralles loses around 8-10% of its rum per year. This compares to loses of 4-6% per year in Kentucky and 1-2% loses in Scotland. Rather than installing an energy-draining cooling system, the rum-maker installed 1MW of Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on top of three of their ageing warehouses to reduce the temperature inside and simultaneously reduce their aging loses and emissions of VOC in the atmosphere. After just 18 months of operation, Serrales reduced its aging losses by about 1%, saving an enormous 65,000 gallons of rum from evaporating. the PV solar panels now produce about 1/3 of the total electricity requirements at the distillery, saving precious resources and producing clean renewable energy. The innovative solar-powered project proves that environmental protection and business efficiencies are not mutually exclusive. Commendation: Oxford Landing Estates Sustainability is at the heart of Oxford Landings’ wine production in South Australia, but the judges wanted in particular to give a commendation to this business for installing Australia’s largest solar panel system at its Nuriootpa estate. Upgrades to the irrigation system have resulted in a 25% reduction in power use in 2017. The improvement to irrigation systems over the last 10 years has seen a 30% reduction of water consumption per hectare of vines. Alongside this, last year had a 197 kW solar PV system installed in December 2016, with an additional 500 kW set to be installed in 2018. The bottling site also had a solar system installed in December 2016, with 200 kW, which is estimated to generate over 298, 000 kWh each year. The judges were impressed with Oxford Landing’s continued commitment to implementing solar power throughout the business, from vineyard to bottle. Shortlist • A. E Chapman & Son • Destilería Serrallés • Oxford Landing Estates • Quinta de Maipo • Vina Maquis

The Amorim Sustainability Award for Generic Organisation

Winner: Vinos de Chile Vinos de Chile’s Sustainability Code has become part of a national wine industry initiative after only a short time. It has had an important impact on the performance of certified wineries, which have been increasing in number year-on-year since 2011. There are currently 66 certified wineries, which represent 66% of the total bottled wine exports. To achieve its success, Vinos de Chile produced support manuals, gave lectures and seminars and hosted in-field capacity-building activities to spread its message. In 2017, it hosted a seminar at ProWein in Germany and at Vinexpo in France. It has recently revealed that at least three countries have expressed interest in the project, which it says could lead to “the internationalisation of the project, which started only on a national scale”.

The Amorim Sustainability Award for Wine

Winner: Fetzer Vineyards Over the past four years, California-based Fetzer has managed to prevent virtually all of its waste going to landfills or being incinerated. In 2016, it diverted 99.2% of all waste, showing a continuous trajectory of improvement since 2013, when waste diversion stood at just over 97%. Fetzer experienced several milestones in 2016, including the installation of a regenerative wastewater system, and being awarded carbon-neutral certification by regulatory organisation Natural Capital Partners. In 2015, it was the largest winery in the world to achieve B Corp Certification from the an organisation that rewards companies for “using their business as a force for good”. In the same year, Fetzer installed a BioFiltro system that used millions of red earthworms to process wastewater from the 2015 harvest. “At Fetzer Vineyards, we know that transforming our future requires not just small, incremental steps toward sustainability, but rather an ambitious framework – like regenerative development – applied to every part of our business,” said Fetzer chief executive Giancarlo Bianchetti. Commendation: Bodega Tapiz With plenty of impressive entries for this category, the judges wanted to award Bodega Tapiz with a commendation for its work to reduce its environmental impact through composting, recycling and organic viticulture. The family-owned Argentine winery also impressed the judges for its work to help the local community, sponsoring a programme to stop children at nearby schools from dropping out of education in their final year of study. Shortlist: • Bodegas Salentein • Bodega Tapiz • DGB Ltd • Fetzer Vineyards • Napa Valley Vintners • St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery • Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) • Vinos de Chile

The Amorim Sustainability Award for Spirits

Winner: Glengoyne Distillery Scottish whisky distillery Glengoyne impressed judges with its responsible use of water and its continued efforts to reduce its energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Glengoyne has 12 individual wetland cells containing around 14,000 plants. It was the first distillery in Scotland to trial the wetlands project and is now the official whisky sponsor of the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust. Reed beds are used to filter and cleanse the effluent from the spirits stills, disposing of it environmentally, while draff from mashing is used to feed local cattle. Its specially built Pot Ale Tank reduces total waste output by 25%. Glengoyne has used renewable electricity since September 2013. It is planning to install a Pot Ale Evaporation plant to reduce the number of traffic movements and thus reduce emissions. In collaboration with beehive-management service Plan Bee, it produced 65kg of honey this year from hives based on the estate. Commendation: Greensand Ridge Distillery Sustainability has always been at the core of Kent micro-distillery Greensand Ridge. Among its measures to mitigate the negative impacts of distilling, it uses 100%-renewable power, employs heat-recovery systems for cleaning and preheating before distillation, and uses 100%-recyclable packaging materials. It is actively tackling food waste by working with a network of farmers to ferment and distil quality surplus produce. Greensand is completing product development on a moonshine made from surplus bread, while its rum is produced from blackstrap molasses – the final waste from the sugar-refining process. Shortlist: • Glengoyne Distillery • Greensand Ridge Distillery • Ncn’ean Distillery Limited

The Amorim Biodiversity Award

Winner: Pernod Ricard Winemakers New Zealand Pernod Ricard Winemakers New Zealand has long been a proponent of biodiversity. Among many measures that it adopts, it plants wildflowers to support bees, and adopts ‘inter-row planting’ to attract other beneficial insects. The group works closely with organisations such as Conservation Volunteers, Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, the Marlborough Falcon Trust, Trees that Count and the Department of Conservation. Its staff are actively engaged in the support of breeding programmes and other solutions to help recover native fauna and flora in New Zealand. In 2017, it continued to increase biodiversity with a number of projects, including putting beehives in vineyards, using sheep for leaf plucking and weed control, and by helping to plant an extra 1,500 native trees on the Kaituna Wetland. Commendation: Cono Sur Chile’s Cono Sur received a special mention from the judges for its continued efforts to support biodiversity in its vineyards. It has developed several studies including Crop Cover which has seen it increase the surface area of native vegetation on its estate by six hectares from 2008 to 2017. Its estates have all received the green certification code of Chilean wine and it has converted more than 300ha of vines to organic management. Shortlist: • Cono Sur • Esporäo • Pernod Ricard Winemakers New Zealand • Viña Tarapacá

The Water Management Award

Winner: Fetzer Vineyards Since its launch in 1968 by Barney Fetzer in Mendocino County, Fetzer Vineyards has been a pioneer of California winemaking. Over the course of half a century, Fetzer has devoted itself to experimentation and finding innovative ways to cut waste and leave the planet a little bit cleaner. Part of global winery Viña Concha y Toro, Fetzer Vineyards exports its diverse wines to more than 30 countries. Last year, on the eve of its 50th anniversary, Fetzer Vineyards released Road to Regeneration, the winery’s first sustainability report. The 26-page report highlights the company’s key progress towards its 2020 sustainability goals, its sustainability strategies, and highlights from 2016. In 2017, following decades of stewardship practices including tributary rehabilitation and erosion-control initiatives, Fetzer Vineyards was awarded Russian Riverkeeper’s first Leadership in Russian River Regeneration award for its comprehensive water management strategy. Not only that, last year the wine group installed a BioFiltro system, which used millions of red earthworms to process wastewater from the 2016 harvest – around 17 million gallons of water a year. Fetzer’s BioFiltro system has been recognised by the United Nations, picking up an award for Project of the Year in the global body’s Climate Change Conference. The judges were blown away by not only Fetzer’s groundbreaking BioFiltro system, but its continued commitment to driving sustainable practices and clean production throughout California’s wine region, becoming a key player in environmental production on the global stage. Runner-up: VSPT Group Last year’s Renewable Energy Award winner, VSPT Wine Group’s long-standing commitment to sustainability didn’t escape the notice of our judges this time round. Last year, VSPT was listed on Chile’s Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the first time; an outstanding achievement and well deserved after decades of working towards environmentally-friendly production. The list only extends invitations to the “best in class” in terms of economic, environmental and social development. Among the group’s greatest achievements are its 360 sustainable initiatives implemented in 2009, including projects on biodiversity conservation, water management and efforts to reduce the corporate carbon footprint and the impact on climate change. Shortlist: • Bodegas Salentein • Destilería Serrallés • Destilerias Unidas • Fetzer Vineyards • VSPT Wine Group

Green Company of the Year

Winner: Villiera Wines Villiera Wines is a winery based in Stellenbosch, South Africa, that was founded in 1983 by cousins Jeff and Simon Grier. The pair established the winery with a plan to plant classic and local varieties, including Pinotage, Chenin Blanc and Muscat Ottonel, producing still wines as well as a range of Méthode Cap sparklers. At the core of their business remains a focus on sustainability and environmental conservation. A portion of the farm has been set aside for rehabilitation of old vineyards and fallow land to provide a wildlife sanctuary (220 hectares) for game. Here, conservation efforts for both game and vegetation take place alongside a determined indigenous tree-planting project. More than 100,000 indigenous trees have been planted in an attempt to add greenery to fallow land and counter its carbon footprint. The wildlife sanctuary is stocked with a variety of game species including elands, zebras, springboks, gemsboks, bonteboks, giraffes, kudus and black wildebeest. Villiera has also made strides toward controlling its water consumption, having installed a rainwater-harvesting system last year. In a normal rainfall year this provides 6,000,000 litres of quality rainwater. Its electricity, meanwhile, is generated from renewable solar energy, with the area of solar panelling at the estate increasing in 2017 to cover 1,155m2. Whether it is the wildlife sanctuary, the indigenous tree-planting programme, the newly expanded solar energy plant, or the just-installed rainwater harvesting system, the judges felt that this really is a worthy green winner for 2017. Runner-up: Angove Family Winemakers Established in 1886, Australia’s Angove Family Wines is one of the oldest family-owned winemakers in Australia, and is known for its commitment to organic and biodynamic wine production. Angove produces 140,000 nine-litre cases of organic wine, and has already converted 172ha of organic certified vineyards in the Riverland and McLaren Vale regions to organic and biodynamic. A further 40ha are two years into the three-year conversion process and a 40 further hectares began conversion last year. Meanwhile, conversion of all of its vineyards to drip irrigation has already resulted in 25% less water consumption per hectare. The judges were particularly impressed that this winery has embraced organic viticulture on such an impressive scale. Commendation: Tasca d’Almerita Sicily’s Tasca d’Almerita impressed judges with its SOStain sustainability programme. Founded in 2010 by Alberto Tasca, in collaboration with OPERA, the research centre for sustainable agriculture at Milan’s Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, SOStain acts as a quantitative measurement tool for sustainable growth. Other Sicilian producers may join the programme, providing they abide by a list of regulations, including the minimal use of sulphur, the adoption of lighter bottles and the use of 100%-Sicilian grapes. Shortlist: • Angove Family Winemakers • Bodega Matarromera S.L. • SIP Certified • Tasca d’Almerita • Villiera Wines • Viña Concha y Toro

Ethical Company of the Year

Winner: Napa Valley Vintners This year, the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) wowed judges with its philanthropic, ethical and environmentally sensitive approach to a community that, despite its location in a wealthy area, requires protection and financial support. In particular, the judges were impressed that this association has ensured that every child in this Californian wine region has access to health insurance, and all residents can benefit for disaster relief. Established in 1944, NVV aims to “promote, protect and enhance the Napa Valley wine region”, and its more than 500 members have a long history of both community giving and environmental stewardship. Since 1981, NVV’s annual community fundraiser, Auction Napa Valley, has been raising money for local non-profit organisations, and has invested more than $170 million (£127m) to fund initiatives for community health, children’s education and recovery from unexpected crises such as the 2014 South Napa earthquake, and the wildfires that swept through the region last year. In 2016 alone, more than 100,000 clients of local non-profits were helped by the auction’s funding. In 2015, the NVV board of directors decided to deepen its commitment to sustainability by setting the ambitious goal to have, by 2020, all eligible members part of Napa Green, which is a comprehensive environmental certification programme for vineyards and wineries in the Napa Valley. As of April 2017, more than 50% of eligible members (up to 215 industry leaders) have achieved this goal, and today, 49% of Napa Valley vineyard acreage is Napa Green certified.

Green Retailer of the Year

Winner: Borough Wines Once again, Borough Wines shone this year as an example of a truly green operation. Whether it’s the company’s wine-refill system, or its growing range of organic, biodynamic and low-intervention wines, as well as a delivery service using electric bikes, this London-based retailer has a thorough approached to environmentally friendly ways of working. Notable developments in the past 12 months include the introduction of biodegradable plastic bags made from GM-free corn starch, and Ecofass kegs, which once empty can be returned, refilled and reused.

Green Initiative of the Year

Winner: Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand This year’s Best Green Initiative was awarded to Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand for the compilation of its first ever sustainability report in 2017, which provides data for wineries across New Zealand to benchmark their own performance against. At the same time, the organisation has also, launched a novel app called Spray Mix Mate – ensuring growers don’t waste any materials when spraying their vineyards. The judges were extremely impressed by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand’s data-driven approach that used case studies to encourage wineries to adopt practices that reduce the impact of viticulture on the environment, while also saving producers time and money. Commendation: SIP Certified The judges wanted in particular to commend California’s SIP (Sustainability in Practice), a rigorous sustainable vineyard and wine-certification programme, for hitting two milestones in the past year. One of these was the establishment of a complete soil-to-bottle certification for the wine industry, because sustainable winemaking does not stop in the vineyard. The other was certifying its first vineyard outside of California – WaterFire Vineyards in Michigan.

Green Personality of the Year

Michel Drappier This year’s green personality has been selected for his single-minded drive to ensure his Champagne business lives and breathes sustainability. As owner and managing director of a 60-hectare estate in Champagne’s southerly sub-region of the Aube, and the producer of 1.7 million bottles annually under the family name, Michel Drappier has become a significant player in the competitive world of Champagne. However, such a presence has not been achieved without at the same time working to minimise his operation’s impact on the environment. Currently, 15ha of his property are certified organic, with another 10 in conversion, although he plans to turn the entire estate to the viticulture practice in the future. He has also become the first Champagne producer to be carbon neutral, having achieved the status in 2016, while at the start of 2017 he launched a new bottle for Drappier Champagnes, made with as much as 87% recycled glass. The producer is well known for its minimal use of sulphur dioxide in its wines, and is one of the very few Champagne producers to make a cuvée with no added sulphur whatsoever. Most importantly, Michel himself is famous in Champagne for his polite but firm stance on improving the environmental and ethical credentials of this famous fizz-producing region, using his own business as a beacon for excellence – whether that concerns wine quality, or Drappier’s socially responsible and environmentally-friendly approach to production.

Lifetime Achievement Award

John Angove Representing the fourth generation of Australia’s Angove Family Winemakers, John Angove joined the family business in the 1970s, after studying science and economics and a stint in the Australian wine Centre in London. He took over as managing director of the family-owned company in 1983, and has been pivotal in helping to shape one of the largest organic wine estates in Australia, steering its operation towards the renowned McLaren Vale region and toward organic and biodynamic winemaking practices. Over four decades, Angove has overseen several major redevelopments of Angove’s vineyards, including the acquisition of its Warboys vineyard in McLaren Vale, the conversion of nearly 300 hectares of its vineyards to organic and biodynamic, and the establishment of a small micro-winery within its larger operation. In addition to his role with the family business, Angove is also an executive councilor of the Winemakers Federation of Australia, and has been since it was founded in 1989, and also sits on the board of the Australia Wine Research Institute. His contribution to the country’s wine industry has already received considerable recognition, most notably in the form of Angove’s appointment as member of the Order of Australia in 2011. But, for the sake of these awards, it is his devotion to proving that a successful wine business can be run sustainably, while also encouraging others to minimise their impact on the environment, that secured him this green honour.

The Drinks Business Green Awards 2017: the winners

Patrick Schmitt — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 12:18:23 +0000

We bring you a list of all the winners from this year's Drinks Business Green Awards, who were honoured last night at a ceremony at The Club at London's Ivy restaurant.

Countries that performed particularly well included the US, with Napa Valley Vintners picking up an ethical award for its fundraising efforts for the disadvantaged in this wine region, particularly victims of natural disasters as well as underprivileged children, who all receive health insurance thanks to the organisation. But it wasn't just Napa that did well for the US, with California's Fetzer Vineyards picking up both the Water Management Award and The Amorim Sustainability Award for Wine. Chile was another strong performer this year, with the country's Palo Alto brand picking up an award for Best Green Launch with its ‘Enjoy Wine, Go Solar’ project, while Vinos de Chile picked up The Amorim Sustainability Award for a Generic Organisation. Elsewhere, New Zealand once again showed strongly, with Pernod Ricard Winemakers New Zealand earning The Amorim Biodiversity Award and Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) gaining the award for Best Green Initiative. Australia also featured, with John Angove named this year's recipient of the Green Lifetime Achievement Award, while Champagne's Michel Drappier was honoured with the title of Green Personality 2017. As for South Africa, this country too was celebrated, with Villiera Wines winning the coveted Green Company of the Year award. Speaking at the awards presentation last night, Patrick Schmitt, editor-in-chief at the drinks business, stressed that all areas of a business must be environmentally sensitive to win big in the Green Awards, mentioning the importance of not just carbon emissions, but also water use, waste treatment, as well as a company's impact on its surroundings, pointing out that it was important that any business benefitted the local community socially and environmentally. The winners of awards were announced at an event on Monday 20 November between 3pm and 5.30pm at The Ivy Club in London. db would like to thank Amorim for its continued support of The Green Awards, as well as the suppliers of drinks for the awards ceremony, who were: Ty Nant for the water (UK, Wales) Champagne Lanson for the 'Green Label' organic Champagne (France) Angove for the organic Chardonnay and Shiraz (Australia) Over the following pages is a list of the winners from the db Green Awards 2017, while a full report on each company celebrated at this year's awards will feature in the January issue of the drinks business, along with pictures of the recipients.

Best Logistics and Supply Chain Green Initiative of the Year

Winner: JF Hillebrand Commendation: Lightweight Containers Shortlist ARAEX Grands Spanish Fine Wines JF Hillebrand Lightweight Containers

Best Green Launch of the Year

Winner: Palo Alto for ‘Enjoy Wine, Go Solar’ Shortlist: Carel Industries for its Heez control of beverage coolers Garçon Wines for its full-size flat wine bottle Palo Alto for ‘Enjoy Wine, Go Solar’ by Quinta de Maipo

Organic Initiative of the Year

Winner: Waitrose for 'Organic Month'

The Renewable Energy Implementation Award

Winner: Serrallés USA Commendation: Oxford Landing Estates Shortlist: E Chapman & Son Destilería Serrallés Oxford Landing Estates Quinta de Maipo Vina Maquis

The Water Management Award

Winner: Fetzer Vineyards Runner-up: The VSPT Wine Group Shortlist: Bodegas Salentein Destilería Serrallés Destilerias Unidas Fetzer Vineyards VSPT Wine Group

The Amorim Sustainability Award for Spirits

Winner: Glengoyne Distillery Commendation: Greensand Ridge Distillery Shortlist: Glengoyne Distillery Greensand Ridge Distillery Ncn’ean Distillery Limited

The Amorim Sustainability Award for Wine

Winner: Fetzer Vineyards Commendation: Bodega Tapiz Shortlist: Bodegas Salentein Bodega Tapiz DGB Ltd Fetzer Vineyards Napa Valley Vintners St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) Vinos de Chile

The Amorim Sustainability Award for a Generic Organisation

Winner: Vinos de Chile

The Amorim Biodiversity Award

Winner: Pernod Ricard Winemakers New Zealand Commendation: Cono Sur Shortlist: Cono Sur Esporäo Pernod Ricard Winemakers New Zealand Viña Tarapacá

Ethical Company of the Year

Winner: Napa Valley Vintners

Green Company of the Year

Winner: Villiera Wines Runner-up: Angove Family Winemakers Commendation: Tasca d’Almerita Shortlist: Angove Family Winemakers Bodega Matarromera SIP Certified Tasca d’Almerita Villiera Wines Viña Concha y Toro

Green Retailer of the Year

Winner: Borough Wines & Beers

Green Initiative of the Year

Winner: Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand Commendation: SIP Certified

Green Personality of the Year

Winner: Michel Drappier

Lifetime Achievement Award

Winner: John Angove

Green Awards Archives - The Drinks Business

What they won and why: The DB Green Awards 2024

Best Logistics and Supply Chain Green Initiative for 2024

Green Launch of the Year

Organic Initiative of the Year

Renewable Energy Implementation Award

Water Management Award

The Amorim Sustainability Award

The Amorim Biodiversity Award

The Amorim Special Award

The Ethical Award

The Green Packaging Award

Green Retailer of the Year

O-I: Expressions Green Company of the Year (wine / spirits)

Green Personality of the Year

About our partners

The Drinks Business Green Awards shortlist 2024

O-I: Expressions Green Company of the Year

Amorim Biodiversity Award

Amorim Sustainability Award

Best Green Launch

Water Management Award

Thank you to our sponsors

The top green drinks companies of the last five years

As we take entries for The Drinks Business Green Awards 2024, db surveys recent groundbreaking recipients of Green Company of the Year.

2019 - Pernod Ricard Winemakers

2020 - Jackson Family Wines

2021 - Familia Torres

2022 - Bonterra Organic Estates

2023 - Brooks Wine and The Wine Society

The Drinks Business Green Awards 2024 is open for entries

The Drinks Business Green Awards 2024 – the drinks industry’s leading initiative to reward sustainability in the wines, beers and spirits trade – is now open for entries.

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The good, the bad and the not-so-ugly from The Green Awards 2023

THE AMORIM SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

Winner: Lungarotti

Commendation: Domaine Lafage

Commendation: Spier Wines

Shortlist:

THE AMORIM BIODIVERSITY AWARD

Winner: Château Léoube

Commendation: Viña Maquis

Shortlist:

THE AMORIM SPECIAL AWARD

Winner: Waitrose’s Loved & Found range of wines

GREEN COMPANY OF THE YEAR

Winner (non-producer): The Wine Society

Commendation (non-producer): Direct Wines

Winner (producer): Brooks Wine

Commendation (producer): Familia Torres

Shortlist:

BEST GREEN LAUNCH

Winner: Kojima Sohonten for Toko Junmai Daiginjo – Aigamorobo Farmed

Commendation: Amcor for STELVIN® Greener capsules

Commendation: Bonterra Organic Estates for the Estate Collection

Shortlist:

THE ETHICAL AWARD

Winner: Domaine Bousquet

Shortlist:

VINLOG GREEN RETAILER AWARD

Winner: The Wine Society

Commendation: Direct Wines

VINLOG GREEN IMPORTER/DISTRIBUTOR AWARD

Winner: Lanchester Wines

Commendation: Alliance Wines

THE GREEN PACKAGING AWARD

Winner: Mallard Point

Commendation: Bruichladdich Distillery Company for The Classic Laddie

Shortlist:

BEST ORGANIC INITIATIVE

Winner: Alpamanta Estate

Commendation: Shannon Family of Wines

Shortlist:

BEST LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN GREEN INITIATIVE

Winner: Kuehne+Nagel for VinLog’s Electrification Initiative

THE RENEWABLE ENERGY IMPLEMENTATION AWARD