Protecting and regenerating our environment

We know that biodiversity is being lost all over the world, yet it plays an important role in retaining the natural balance of the vineyard. We need to reverse that loss to ensure the long-term health of vineyards and surrounding communities, as well as helping to tackle climate change. 

That’s why we have an ambitious plan to enhance biodiversity, minimise use of resources, and strive for zero waste, so we protect and regenerate the natural world we rely on. 

The first step is to tackle the environmental impact of our own operations, which includes reducing packaging, energy usage and waste. 
  
Glass bottles account for close to 40% of the carbon emissions of the wine industry. We have an ambitious plan to tackle this: we are currently undertaking baseline measurements so that in 2023 we can set reduction targets for glass, cardboard and plastic packaging. By 2025, we will have ‘right-weighted’ our packaging, so we only use what is absolutely necessary, and whatever we do use is 100% recyclable and recycled everywhere in the UK. 
  
At the same time, we have completed a study to identify more environmentally friendly packaging formats, such as Bag-in-Box and plastic bottles. Members will be able to buy these wines by summer 2023.  

The other big challenge for us is to create a more circular waste system. We are working hard not only to reduce the amount of waste we produce, but also to ensure that what we do create is reused, recycled or composted and the least amount possible goes to energy from waste – with nothing going to landfill. 
  
We also need to tackle the harmful environmental impacts outside of our direct operations. We will actively champion sustainable production practices throughout our agricultural supply chain, supporting our growers and producers to take a ‘whole vineyard’ approach that encourages regeneration, resilience and responsibility. This means improving soil health and encouraging biodiversity, reducing water, waste, chemical inputs and energy and helping producers become more resilient to the changing world. 
  
We will do this by investing in our suppliers, such as setting up mechanisms to increase collaboration and learning, as well as providing financial and advisory support for more of our producers to achieve sustainability certifications. 
  
We believe thriving vineyards in tune with nature will continue to improve wine quality, meaning future members will also be able to enjoy bottles that taste delicious and reflect a sense of place.  

For more information, view our sustainability section