4 Tips for a More Sustainable Winery
 
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4 Tips for a More Sustainable Winery


October 7

2024

We often talk about sustainability in the vineyard, but that doesn’t account for the whole picture.

An important theme of sustainable wine production is the ability to evaluate practices as a whole – from block to bottle.

After months of careful cultivation in the vineyard, the grapes still have a lengthy journey ahead. It’s no secret that the journey takes place in the winery.

But what exactly does it take for a winery to be more sustainable?

Samantha Aguilar, Laboratory Manager at Cambria Estate Winery, knows a thing or two about improving sustainability in the winery. In this weeks’ Marketing Tip, she shares 4 tips to help other wineries do just that.
 

#1: Sanitize Smarter

Safe cleaning and sanitation practices are essential in winemaking. But the financial and environmental impact of sanitation products can add up and lead a sustainably-minded business to look for better solutions.

Cambria periodically runs trials and explores alternative products to see if they sanitize in an eco-friendlier way.

When testing peracetic acid (PAA), an organic peroxide-based sanitation liquid commonly used in food and beverage industries and heath care facilities, Cambria’s team had two questions:

  1. Can we lower our solution’s concentration and maintain effectiveness?
  2. Can we reuse a batch of PAA solution more than once?

To answer their first question, they mixed up a range of PAA concentrations and got to sanitizing. When they used ATP swabs to test the bacteria and yeast on their sanitized areas, they found that they could use less product for the same results!

The answer to their second question was also “yes” – they found that they could use certain PAA concentrations up to 3 times with 100% effectiveness.

“Researching and trying different products can lead to a cost benefit and a possible switch to a more effective, less impactful product.”

Cambria’s trials helped them reduce both product and water use while still maintaining safe sanitation practices.
 

#2: Recycle Your Lab Plastics

Plastic is one of the hardest materials to dispose of in an environmentally responsible way. Wineries know this well because commonly-used lab plastics can’t be recycled in the normal stream.

Cambria works with Polycarbin, a platform for recycling and remanufacturing lab plastics. Polycarbin takes used scientific plastics and remanufactures them into more tubes, pipette boxes, and pipette tips. Their system creates a “closed-loop” supply chain that ensure Cambria’s plastics don’t end up in the landfill.

To make the deal even sweeter, Polycarbin’s tracking software sends Cambria a monthly report on the impact of their recycling practices. “In March of 2024, we recycled 24kg of plastic, reduced 144kg of CO2 emissions, and preserved 220 cubic meters of water – just for the month!” says Samantha.

But Cambria doesn’t stop at recycling their lab supplies. They also work with TerraCycle, a recycling company that collects and recycles materials that are not generally accepted by traditional recycling services. For example, TerraCycle sends Cambria boxes for disposable coveralls, safety glasses, and ear protection so they can be sorted, cleaned, and sent to third-party partners to be processed into usable forms.

“It’s nice to know that all of our plastics aren’t going through the waste stream!”
 

#3: Conduct Yearly Audits

Responsible waste management is a goal for any sustainably-minded business. But as Samantha notes, “You don’t know how to improve if you don’t know where you’re starting from.”

Annual waste audits help Cambria analyze their waste and how it’s being disposed: “We collect our trash and recycling, separate it out, and see if things are being disposed of correctly and assess if staff training is needed.”

Keeping stock of type and quantity of waste and where it’s going is key to making decisions that have less impact on the environment. In fact, this is exactly how they transitioned to recycling their lab plastics: “While they’re lightweight, there is a lot of it. We looked into how we could improve this and ended up finding the plastics recycling options!”
 

#4: Get Involved!

Jackson Family Wines, Cambria’s parent company, takes sustainability to the next level with their program, Rooted for Good: Roadmap to 2030.

It’s a 10-year sustainability and climate action plan that outlines “goals and initiatives designed to lead climate solutions, create a positive social impact, and support the Jackson family’s long-term vision for a sustainable future.”

Part of their plan centers around Social Responsibility, and their employees play a significant role through volunteerism. Every employee gets 2 paid facility-volunteer days per year to head out and do good as a group, plus 1-2 paid personal volunteer days to find other opportunities that align with their values.

They help their communities by volunteering for local events, cleaning up trash at beaches and historical sites, and more.

Their staff have volunteered over 6,000 hours – that’s the equivalent of one person working nearly three years of 40-hour work weeks!

With the entire business behind the team in supporting their community, it's no surprise that “everyone really enjoys community service days!”
 

Join ReSIProcal February

What to share your sustainable practices?

ReSIProcal February is a month-long event that gives SIP Certified brands the opportunity to increase tasting room traffic by connecting with sustainably-minded brands and wine enthusiasts.

If you want to learn about how ReSIProcal February 2024 was, check out the recap!

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