Marlborough’s Cape Campbell Wine Company has taken a major step forward in its commitment to protecting the natural environment, by producing quality wines with minimal effect on the environment.
The company has just achieved the internationally recognised carboNZero certification for contributing no net greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Cape Campbell is one of the first New Zealand wineries and a handful of global wine brands to have achieved carbon neutral certification for their organisation and wine products.
Other New Zealand wineries include Yealands Estate Wines Dry River, Huia Vineyards, Kaimira Ventures, Wairau River and The New Zealand Wine Company.
Cape Campbell’s wines are now all carboNZero certified products and Marketing Director for the winery, Dion Brown, expects this to fuel further growth in domestic and export sales. ”Wine drinkers all around the world are increasingly aware of the environment and are keen to embrace wines produced using environmentally sustainable practices”.
Landcare Research’s carboNZero programme offers highly acclaimed greenhouse gas certification and comes after Cape Campbell set themselves an environmental challenge to address the impact of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its use of electricity and fossil fuels for the organisation, production and distribution of its wines.
Working in partnership with Landcare Research, Cape Campbell used international standards to measure its greenhouse gas emissions; then committed to continually seeking reductions in these and offset the remaining unavoidable emissions by purchasing verified carbon credits from wind farm projects.
The company is extremely proud to have achieved such a significant environmental milestone.
“Over recent years we have strived to improve our environmental performance by implementing water and energy conservation measures. This has included the development of a nine-acre lake, which is a fully functional part of the vineyard, supplying water to service 80 hectares of vineyard.
"The lake is also home to a wide range of local flora and fauna. Achieving carboNZero certification places us at the leading edge of global sustainability and gives consumers an opportunity to choose a bottle of Cape Campbell with confidence that we have minimised our impacts on climate change, as well as providing a fabulous drop”, says Brown.
Cape Campbell also has accreditation as a sustainable wine grower under the SWNZ programme.
The carboNZero certification involves three important steps including measuring and managing greenhouse gas emissions and finally offsetting (mitigating) the remaining unavoidable emissions. The entire process is then independently verified to ensure its credibility and integrity.
Ann Smith, carboNZero programme Technical Manager says, “I am delighted to welcome Cape Campbell to our growing family of carboNZero certified wineries and wines. Cape Campbell has set an excellent example for other New Zealand companies, showing how putting company environmental ethics into practice can add value to a product”.
Cape Campbell’s wines will carry the carboNZero certification logo on all its wines sold throughout New Zealand, UK, Europe, North America, Australia and Asia. For further information visit www.capecampbell.co.nz