Carbon Reduction Label for Sanctuary Sauvignon Blanc

Carbon Reduction Label for Sanctuary Sauvignon Blanc to the UK and Australia completed by Aura Sustainability

Wine industry carbon measurement specialists, Aura Sustainability, have completed the carbon life cycle certification of another wine product, Sanctuary Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc for the brand owner The New Zealand Wine Company (NZWC).

The measurement, which was certified by the Carbon Trust in the UK with assistance by Planet Ark in Australia, was delivered using Aura’s barefoot tools and models which have been specifically designed to deliver product carbon footprint measurements for wine.

The full lifecycle results reflect all greenhouse gas emissions that the wines produce from cradle to grave, or in the case of wine – winegrowing, winemaking, bottling, distribution, retail, use and disposal.

Sanctuary Sauvignon Blanc’s pedigree is synonymous with protection of the natural environment, having been named after the wetlands that were been developed next to the winery where it is made in Marlborough.

The adoption of the Carbon Reduction Label on these wines came about due to strong market drivers in the UK and Australia. Craig Fowles, Sustainability Manager at the NZWC thinks that a market by approach for environmental certification is important.

“We have a number of environmental credentials available that we can offer customers - we have carbon neutral wines, organic wines, SWNZ (Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand) accredited wines and all our wines are grown, made and bottled under the rigorous BRC quality standard. We have felt for a while that the Carbon Reduction Label would be important to our customers in both the UK and Australia given the strong consumer awareness there is for this logo in the marketplace, this was proved to be correct when we chose to undertake the measurement for Sanctuary Sauvignon Blanc to the UK and Australia.”

The carbon footprint of Sanctuary Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in the UK is 220g CO2e per 125ml glass and in Australia it is 160g CO2e per 125ml glass. Roger Kerrison, Principal Consultant at Aura Sustainability, points out that although the numbers are obviously significantly more into the UK, it should not be assumed that buying closer to market is necessarily the better option.

“Transportation is only one of a myriad of factors that make up the footprint of the wine and therefore you need to look at the bigger picture to understand that buying closer to home might not always be the most carbon efficient option. Other winegrowing countries may not be anywhere near as efficient through the supply chain as New Zealand is. For example, New Zealand glass production is very carbon efficient, therefore if a producer in Europe bought glass from a carbon inefficient supplier this would more or less negate the benefit of being closer to the market place because of the much larger glass footprint.”

Kerrison also thinks that over time these numbers will become more and more relevant to consumers, but at present the big value in the Carbon Reduction Label is the reduction component.

“To reduce something, you first need to know what you have. Until you have a number for each individual part of the supply chain you cannot assess efficiency or if alternative solutions are better or worse for the footprint. Having this information available was a big driver for the NZWC undertaking the measurement, especially in the UK where supply chain carbon is starting to become a real focus. Certainly there are a few unapparent areas where big, easy reductions that can be made – most of which will also reduce monetary costs all through the supply chain - which is great for the NZWC and its customers.”
Sanctuary Sauvignon Blanc with the Carbon Reduction Label is the first wine sold in Australia to carry the label and is available exclusively from Vintage Cellars (part of the Coles Group).

www.carbon-bonding.com
www.nzwineco.co.nz
www.productcarbonfootprinting.com