Chilean winemaker gains recognition for sustainable forests

Thousands of hectares of forests owned by Chilean winemaker Concha y Toro have received certification for their sustainable credentials.

Concha y Toro owns more than 4,000 hectares of forests in Chile.

Concha y Toro, which makes wine brands Casillero del Diablo, Cono Sur, and Isla Negra, has fulfilled the requirements to comply with the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) Forest Management Certification, an accreditation set up in 1993 to promote responsible management of the world’s forests.

The FSC does this by setting standards on forest products, along with certifying and labelling them as eco-friendly. FSC labels can be found on hundreds of branded products worldwide, including toilet roll and milk cartons.

CyT’s Native Forest Conservation Program aims to “preserve, protect and maintain these forest areas together with their flora and fauna”, according to the group. It was initiated in 2011 through the registration with Chile’s National Forest Corporation (CONAF) of a total of 3,272 hectares of native sclerophyll forest across nine vineyards.

CyT now owns 4,272 hectares of native forest across nine vineyards in Chile, which are credited by the FSC for “low intensity” management, according to a certification document shared with the drinks business. Concha y Toro developed biodiversity inventories for all the estates involved, identifying the presence of a number of native species within the privately owned land. A carbon capture study was also carried out for both the vineyards and native forests by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile’s Centre for Global Change.

It is the first winery in the world to certify its forest assets under FSC for conservation purposes.

The FSC has certified more than 200 million hectares of forest in more than 80 countries around the world.