The art of wine making is well known for requiring great skill with wine connoisseurs judging every aspect of the wine from appearance to flavour.  Increasingly wine lovers are considering another characteristic – whether the wine was produced sustainably with minimal environmental impacts.

Being dependent on the natural environment to create a good quality product, the wine industry is recognising the importance of implementing sustainable practices.  Combined with consumer demand for environmentally friendly products and recognition that green business practices can result in cost saving and operational efficiency and the argument for wineries to implement green business practices is a strong one.

Of particular importance to wine makers is ensuring the land used for grape growing is managed sustainably.  Reducing the use of chemicals on the land and avoiding over irrigation improves the long term viability of the land in turn increasing its market value.  Often cost savings are realised through the reduced use of pesticides, herbicides and water.   Further cost savings can be realised in the wine making process through capturing, treating and reusing water and using organic waste as fertiliser for vines.

The packaging and transport of wines is an area of considerable cost to the industry and has a significant impact on the environment.  Innovations in wine packaging has led to the use of both thinner glass bottles and plastic bottles for everyday wines designed to be consumed in the short term rather than being cellared for years.   A United States company, Envino, is producing plastic wine bottles which weigh less and take up less space than traditional glass bottles reducing the environmental impacts of transportation.  A number of wineries are trying out these innovations, particularly with commercial clients such as restaurants, to gage the acceptance of these new forms of packaging.

Along with the spread of sustainable viticulture, some wineries are also looking at green construction to reduce their environmental footprint.   From straw bale construction to the use of local recycled materials, many wine makers are to varying degrees making their new construction green with a number of wineries now certified under the US Green Building Council’s LEED program.  These new buildings are designed with energy efficiency in mind and use renewable energy technologies such as solar panels to meet energy needs.  This year it was a winery that took out the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Awards in the small to medium business category.  Yealands Estate in Marlborough which is also certified as carbon neutral was noted for its installation of solar panels, insulated tanks and wind-powered electricity generators.

There are an extensive range of practices a winery can implement to reduce its environmental footprint.  Aside from potential cost savings, wineries that look to go green now are better placed to meet the increased consumer demand for green products and may avoid future regulatory problems from increasing controls placed on the use of natural resources.

You Can’t Afford Not to be Green is a great digital publication on ways to go green. The book has been published online by YUDU Media, an online library where users can read, publish, buy, sell and share digital content without the environmental impacts of printing.

Click on the image above to read You Can’t Afford Not to be Green online for free.

Once you have made the decision to turn your business green, you need a long term strategy to incorporate environmental issues into strategic planning for the business.

The following six step strategy outlines activities a business will undertake in becoming sustainable.

1. Confirm management is committed to the green vision

Nothing happens in a business without the support of management. This is not so difficult in small organisations but larger companies will need to enlist the support of all those with managerial responsibilities. The management team should decide their definition of a green business as well as their reasons for going green. Is the motive to engage in ethical behaviour, be certified as environmentally friendly for marketing or to ensure environmental regulations are adhered to. A person or team (depending on the size of the business) should be designated to manage the environmental strategy and ensure decisions are implemented.

2. Create an environmental policy

Similar to the strategic vision, the environmental policy indicates at a high level what the business is committed to. Staff at all levels should have the opportunity to have input on the policy so it becomes a living document they will support in future. Consider how staff will be trained on the policy and what it means in their day to day work.

3. Determine the environmental impacts of the business

Take into account the key areas of the business. While water use, energy use and waste management are the most well known environmental issues, there are many other ways a business can impact the environment such as staff undertaking extensive travel or the use of toxic chemicals for cleaning. Consider all the inputs and outputs of the business in the creation of the product or service. If a product is being manufactured, outline the full product life cycle from the supplies used in the manufacture to how the product will be disposed of at the end of its life. Also determine what other resources are used by the business on a daily basis.

4. Set environmental goals

Take into account the impacts of the business and decide the short and long term environmental goals. By this stage there should be a good understanding of the key areas for the business which enables goals to be prioritised.  Make sure each goal is specific and measurable. One priority should be to ensure the business is in compliance with environmental regulations.

5. Establish green practices in the key areas

Once goals have been set and prioritised, decisions can be made on what operational changes are required in the key areas.  Determine who will be responsible for ensuring each goal is completed and how progress towards the goal will be monitored and reported.

6. Make a green communications plan

Decide how the business will report its sustainability improvements to a wider audience. The plan should address the frequency and form of communication with staff, suppliers, clients and shareholders.

Environmental planning must be considered a cycle with regular reviews of the policy, impacts, goals and practice of the business. Make sure processess are implemented to weigh up alternative options as lessons are learned through experience or new information becomes available. Investigate if environmentally responsible partnerships or stewardship programs would benefit the business and how these could be could be implemented as part of the environmental plan.