The greenest drinks companies of the decade

As we gear up for the eighth year of The Drinks Business Green Awards, we look back at the winners of the hotly-contested Green Company of the Year since 2010.

We launched the drinks trade’s first ever ‘green issue’ in January 2007, followed by the industry’s inaugural ‘drinks list’ in January 2009, and the following year, The Green Awards – which is still the only set of industry gongs for all that’s environmentally-sensitive and socially-responsible.

It should be said at the outset that db has been a pioneering champion of green initiatives in all aspects of the drinks trade for more than a decade, beginning its promotion of the good work to advance sustainability in our industry with a ‘green issue’ in January 2007.

This highlighted the efforts being made by companies to reduce carbon emissions during transport, improve soil health in viticulture, and advance sustainability more generally, especially through the adoption of lighter packaging.

Then, in 2009, we published the trade’s first ever ‘Green List’, which was devised to draw attention to the world’s most environmentally-friendly personalities, be they at the helm of drinks retailers, associations or producers.

Causing a huge stir in the global trade, it saw us rank those with the greatest influence on furthering green initiatives, featuring the likes of Wholefoods chairman John Mackey and climate change activist and Spanish wine industry legend Miguel Torres.

One year later came our launch of the drinks industry’s inaugural Green Awards, designed to celebrate ‘the keenly green in drinks’, which has been running ever since – and is still the only set of industry gongs to reward all that is environmentally sensitive and socially-responsible.

Over the past eight years, it has expanded to mark the growing importance of sustainability in drinks production and all other aspects of the trade, while also enlarging to celebrate particular aspects to the greening of operations, such as a shift to renewable energy, a move to enhance the efficient use of water, and those investments to augment biodiversity.

Today, the Green Awards comprises as many as 12 categories, drawn up to reward businesses in a range of fields, along with brands from all sectors of the drinks industry, and, crucially, the personalities who are really making a difference to the sustainability of this trade.

For now, however, db looks back over the winners in our Green Company category since 2010, beginning with last year’s recipient, and comprising businesses from British Columbia and the Western Cape, along with a carbon neutral spirits company from Finland.

Before you review our past winners, we wish to remind you that entries for the Green Awards for 2018 are being accepted now until the end of September, and you can download an entry form here, or read more about the awards and the categories by clicking here.

For more information and to enter, contact:

Lewis O’Sullivan on email at lewis@unionpress.co.uk

Or Rhiannon Morris on email at rhiannon.morris@unionpress.co.uk

Or call db on +44 (0)207 803 2420

2017 Green Company of the Year: Villiera Wines

2017’s winner was a winery based in Stellenbosch, South Africa, that was founded in 1983 by cousins Jeff and Simon Grier. The pair established the winery with a plan to plant classic and local varieties, including Pinotage, Chenin Blanc and Muscat Ottonel, producing still wines as well as a range of Cap Classique sparklers. Called Villiera Wines, it was founded with sustainability and environmental conservation at its core.

Notable iniaitives include the rehabilitation of old vineyards and the introduction of fallow land to provide a wildlife sanctuary (220 hectares) for game species including elands, zebras, springboks, gemsboks, bonteboks, giraffes, kudus and black wildebeest.

. More than 100,000 indigenous trees have been planted in an attempt to add greenery and counter the producer’s carbon footprint.

Villiera has also made strides towards controlling its water consumption, having installed a rainwater-harvesting system in 2016.

In a normal rainfall year this provides 6,000,000 litres of quality rainwater. Its electricity, meanwhile, is generated from renewable solar energy, with the area of solar panelling at the estate increasing in 2017 to cover 1,155m2.

Whether it is the wildlife sanctuary, the indigenous tree-planting programme, the newly expanded solar energy plant, or the just-installed rainwater harvesting system, the judges felt that this really was a worthy green winner for 2017.

2016 Green Company of the Year: VSPT Wine Group

Sustainability is woven into the ethos of Chilean giant VSPT and the company’s comprehensive approach to reducing its impact on the environment made it a clear winner. The opening of a Biogas Plant in 2016 was an industry first, ensuring that the winery is able to generate electricity and natural fertilizer from its own vineyard’s waste material.

However, it also ticked a lot of other boxes – from lightweight packaging, to solar energy, biodiversity programmes to helping its suppliers with sustainability. As the judges pointed out, its significant reduction of water use in the vineyard is importantly for Chile, and there was convincing evidence of large savings in the last 12 months.

2015 Green Company of the Year: Phillips Brewing Co

Matt Phillips, founder and owner of Phillips Beer

Tucked away at the southern end of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Phillips Brewery made a powerful impact on the judges in the 2015 awards.

This comprehensive entry revealed a company that conveys its deep-rooted environmentally friendly approach with infectious – but far from sanctimonious – enthusiasm.

As part of an impressive waste reduction programme, Phillips has taken the step of designing its own CO₂ reclamation system, a pioneering example for smaller breweries. With green initiatives in place across every element of this company’s production and packaging operations, Phillips’ communication also carries a strong environmental accent. Its Benefit Brew project and sponsorship tie-ins point to a positive impact that reaches well beyond the brewery walls.

2014 Green Company of the Year: Yealands Family Wines

Describing this wine producer as “leaps and bounds ahead” of the competition, the judges were also inspired by the evident energy and passion for environmental practices that spreads throughout the company and into its local community.

New initiatives at that time included the installation of New Zealand’s largest solar panel installation and a 50,000-tonne composting initiative developed in partnership with other local industries.

Yealands stood out as an inspiring embodiment of its own company mantra: “Think boldy, tread lightly and never say it can’t be done.”

2013 Green Company of the Year: Jackson Family Wines

From pioneering hi-tech energy management systems to simple ideas such as nesting boxes, Jackson Family Wines demonstrated all the investment clout of a large company combined with the inventive enthusiasm usually associated with smaller operations.

Jackson’s extensive research and development investments, such as its recent $3.5 million (£2.25m) contribution to the new Sustainable Winery Technology Center at UC Davis demonstrate a commitment to making a difference well outside the confines of its own business.

2012 Green Company of the Year: Pramia

Pramia, based in Jalasjärvi, Finland, is a producer of organic and conventional spirits, liqueurs and mixed drinks from the first carbon neutral production plant in Finland. The company’s entire operation runs solely on wind power and in February 2011 Pramia built a wind power plant that produces 1.2 million kWh of electricity every year. As just 50% of this is needed by the company, Pramia offers the rest to its employees and customers. Other measures taken by the company to reduce its impact on the environment included switching to recyclable PET packaging, fitting of LED lighting at its factory and using low-emission vehicles.

2011 Green Company of the Year: Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery

All the judges felt strongly that Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery should be 2011’s Green Company of the Year for its impressive environmental initiatives in the last 12 months and the scale of its carbon savings through the likes of lightweighting.

“They are absolutely leading the field when it comes to the whole spectrum; there is no green wash at Cono Sur,” commented one judge. In particular, Cono Sur was applauded for being “innovative and impactful” in communicating its green credentials using branded pedicabs and bicycle-powered phone chargers at events.

2010 Green Company of the Year: Bodegas Torres

The judges were in no doubt as to the Torres commitment to all matters green. It has pioneered environmental causes in Spain and the Torres family are clearly dedicated to making their company the most effective in minimising their carbon emissions and waste, while at the same time improving their environmental credentials in new and interesting ways. For example, Torres already produces 50% of its hot water using solar power, and it is working on raising that to 70%.

Head of the company, Miguel Torres Senior, was previously the highest ranking wine producer in db’s inaugural Green List, published in January 2007.