Accolade Wines takes sustainability strides
AUSTRALIAN wine supplier Accolade Wines has been on a sustainability journey for some time now and isn’t showing signs of slowing down.
The wine producer said it has made sustainability its core focus, with a long-term obligation to manage its business in an environmentally responsible manner at all levels, from the factory floor to the shop floor.
Tom Smith, marketing director for Europe at Accolade Wines, said: “Minimising waste and energy usage in our entire supply chain was a key factor in our journey to become carbon neutral.
“Accolade sells over 150 million bottles of wine in Europe per year and we’re always looking at solutions to reduce our carbon footprint.”
This commitment has seen Accolade examine the carbon output at its manufacturing site in Bristol, with the stated aim of making more with less.
Accolade said that the site’s entire electrical supply comes from renewable sources. The site has its own 2.5MW wind turbine, which provides 50% of the supply.
Other new projects have been introduced at the site to help to cut carbon emissions, including a £3 million investment in an in-house blending process for its wines, an
on-site nitrogen gas production plant and 233 newly fitted LED lights, which Smith said use 73% less electricity than before.
This environmentally friendly approach even extends to the site’s employees, as Smith explained.
“Through our Employee Representative Forum, colleagues are actively encouraged to contribute to our ongoing sustainable development.
“It was this forum which prompted the installation of 10 EV charging ports within our employee and visitor car park, and that identified an opportunity, since implemented, to optimise food waste collection,” he said.
Accolade’s carbon neutral ambitions extend to its wine brands, too. Launched in May, The Banrock Station variant of Wise Wolf is a carbon-neutral wine. According to Accolade, the glass used to make Wise Wolf bottles is sourced from 100% post-consumer recycled sources.
Wise Wolf labels are also made from 100% recycled paper, its caps are made from 100% recycled plastic and its outer cases from 100% recycled paper pulp.
Smith said: “The total Wise Wolf pack is made from 95.1% recycled materials and can be
recycled again. Every element of the packaging has been carefully considered, along with evaluating the environmental impact of freight methods, routes, bottle shape and size.
“Central to the Wise Wolf proposition is transparency and shoppers are invited to learn more about each component of the packaging by scanning the on-pack QR code and visiting the website,” said Smith.
