Winemaker Accolade raises glass to newly carbon neutral range

The company behind bestselling wine brands Kumala, Hardys, and Echo Falls has announced that its core range has now been certified carbon neutral.

The certification from consultancy the Carbon Trust means Accolade Wines Europe is close to achieving its goal of achieve net zero emissions across its UK-packaged portfolio by the end of 2020.

The company sells more than 150 million bottles of wine in Europe annually and has taken a number of steps to reduce its carbon emissions in recent years, including the introduction of lighter weight bottles for Echo Falls and Hardys wines and the installation of a solar array at a vineyard in Australia and a 2.5MW wind turbine at the company's European manufacturing site in Bristol.

"We know that there is demand from shoppers for greener products, with 62 per cent of consumers saying they want to buy from sustainable brands, and the wine category is no different," said Caroline Thompson-Hill, managing director for Europe at Accolade Wines. "Companies have to act on their carbon footprint for the sake of the planet and we want Accolade Wines Europe to set a positive example that we hope the rest of the industry follow."

Confirming its new carbon neutral status last week, the company revealed it has worked with sustainability consultancy CarbonCare to offset emissions it is currently unable to reduce.

CarbonCare Projects include the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor, which helps to restore ecosystems and preserve threatened and unique flora and fauna in Australia, alongside afforestation projects in Chile, clean cookstove deployments in South Africa, and renewable energy projects in the US and China.

Vaughan Lindsay, chief executive at ClimateCare, said the company's goal was to help Accolade cut its carbon emissions while supporting sustainable development. "We work with forward-thinking organisations to turn their climate responsibilities into positive outcomes," he said.

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