Time to do the right thing

"During last Saturday's Live Earth concert in London, BBC presenter Jonathan Ross was repeatedly asking the rhetorical question: 'Will any of this make a difference?', and I have heard it said by members of the wine industry that 'wine is a natural product, so why should we be concerned about this green argument?'.

"Well, as an agricultural process, when we consider the viticulture side of growing extensive areas of vines, and the vinification process when grapes are fermented into wine and bottled for global consumption into (mostly) glass containers, we should be hugely concerned with all aspects of our environmental impact.

"Some wine companies are taking a leadership position on these issues, and we at Fetzer Vineyards in California are at the forefront of this with our 'Sustainability in Winemaking' mantra, which was graphically illustrated on our 'Fetzer Sustainable Winery Garden' show garden at The Chelsea Flower Show in May.

We believe that as a luxury consumer product we have a perfect opportunity to help educate consumers by leading by example. These actions fall into the following categories:
- using green power - Fetzer runs solely on renewable energy and sunshine;
- water reuse - Fetzer recycles treated winery waste water for irrigation and we conserve water use;
- planting cover crops - Fetzer uses cover crops extensively to avoid the use of synthetic chemicals and to enrich the soil with organic matter and attract beneficial insects
- lower gas emissions - Fetzer runs all its tractors and trucks on biodiesel and provides commuter vans for its winery staff;
- natural compost - Fetzer uses all the seeds, stalks and grape skins as natural compost in the vineyards instead of chemicals;
- recycling and natural packaging - Fetzer has reduced waste going to landfill by 95% through an extensive programme of recycling, and all glass and cardboard comes from recycled sources;
- natural air conditioning - many of our winery buildings allow natural air conditioning, using the cool Pacific air at night.

"Leading by example and taking steps like this will, collectively, make a difference and should give Jonathan his answer - YES!"

"We are really only just beginning to address the environmental impact of not only our business, but also our suppliers. Everyone is at a different stage and some of our suppliers are more aware and further ahead than us in addressing them.

"We are taking steps to reduce our waste, to recycle and to conserve energy. Our company policy is that caring for the environment starts at home. Our next step will be to look at our business travel carbon footprint and to find a balance between running a commercial enterprise and doing what we can to use resources responsibly.

"The issue of packaging and closures is a complex one and we are only in the early stages of understanding what we should be doing and how we should be advising our suppliers.

"This raises the issue of ethical trading. Some of our suppliers have worked with us for many years and we would not be comfortable dictating to them, especially when we are not sure of all the facts ourselves.

However, we can be proactive in encouraging them to address the issues. With new suppliers we will also want to know if they are actively addressing environmental issues, and this will steadily become a higher priority in the decision-making process as to whether we do or do not work with a new company."

"Since starting out in 1990, we have led the way with the supply of organic wine from Europe and South America, and have always had a keen eye on developing environmental trends. We have recently introduced African Dawn, in association with WWF, and the first Tetrapak wine from Australia with Andrew Peace, which has met with unprecedented demand and seen the brand break into the Top 50 AC Nielsen brands for the first time.

"With issues such as reducing carbon emissions and protecting biodiversity being reported more frequently in the press, it is clear that concern for the environment will continue to rise further up the consumer's agenda. The drinks trade must react and be prepared to be innovative so that consumers are clear what proposition they are buying into.

"There is already confusion with wine, and the addition of an environmental message will potentially add another layer of complexity. Fairtrade and organics are relatively well understood, but this has taken time and new concepts need to be clear and simple so that any environmental benefit can be understood easily. Environmental awareness, however, is driving a real glut of new product development and that has got to be a good thing."

"Via Ventisquero's commitment to the environment forms a key part of the winery's production and viticultural practices.

Via Ventisquero is APL certified (Chile's Clean Production Certification), and we have a water recycling process and preserve the surrounding flora and fauna.

Following the UK government's announcement in 2006 that it would reduce CO2 emissions by 20% over the next five years, we knew the pressure would build on retailers and suppliers.

"We felt we needed a certification agent suitable for the UK market, so started working with Climate Care.

The audit on our business activities and emissions relating to wine production showed that transportation to the UK released the most CO2 - almost two tons per 40ft container - so this was the first area we targeted. We can now proudly say that we are the first Chilean winery off-setting CO2."