New Zealand Wine Company wins prestigious environment award!
The New Zealand Wine Company Ltd has won the 2010 New Zealand Government’s Green Ribbon Award for Small Businesses Making a Difference.
Environment Minister (New Zealand Government), Hon Dr Nick Smith, last week announced the 2010 winners of the Green Ribbon Awards. These awards commend organisations for making an outstanding contribution to protecting the environment. The New Zealand Wine Company Ltd won the category for ‘Small Businesses Making a Difference’.
This award recognises small businesses (employing less than 100 people) who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to reducing environmental impacts by integrating sustainable practices into operational business activities and reducing the organisation’s footprint.
The New Zealand Wine Company Ltd is located in the Waihopai Valley in Marlborough and makes wine under the brands Grove Mill, Sanctuary and Frog Haven. The company is committed to making quality wine with minimal environmental impact.
In 2006 The New Zealand Wine Company Ltd became the world’s first carboNZeroCertTM certified winery, in recognition of their achievements in measuring, minimising and offsetting CO2 emissions. They have continued to receive this certification year after year.
The company undertakes various ongoing initiatives to minimise their carbon footprint, including, but not limited to;
- Under-vine mowing, reducing use of herbicides
- Biological pest control
- Frost fans for frost protection rather than helicopters
- Buys carbon-neutral electricity
- Recycling waste heat from the refrigeration plant (cool cellar) for warm operations
- Passive cooling - cool night time air is pulled into the cool cellar to disperse warm air
- Water, glass, cardboard and plastic recycling
- Waste water used to irrigate the renewable on-site plantation of trees (wood supply)
- Composting grape marc and filter media
- On-site bottling eliminates unnecessary transport of wine for bottling
- Electric forklifts powered by carbon-neutral electricity
- All company vehicles are diesel powered
- Lighter-weight bottles are used
- Marketing materials printed onto FSC stocks (paper sourced from renewable forests)
Fourteen hectares of company owned vineyards are also under BioGro organic management, which eliminates the use of artificial herbicides, fungicides, pesticides and fertilisers.
Beside the winery and cellar door, a successful wetland has been established, which serves as the refuge to the company’s golden mascot, the Southern Bell Frog and other wetland inhabitants including the native Pukeko bird, which features on our Sanctuary label.
“We are naturally thrilled and honoured to be formally recognised for all our ongoing environmental efforts. This award, as well as the recent Gold & Silver Medals and excellent reviews our wines have received, is testament to the dedication of our outstanding viticulture, winemaking and support teams” says Helen Wilkes, Marketing Manager, The New Zealand Wine Company Ltd.
Company Contact:
For more information on this subject plus product information, please contact -
Helen Wilkes
Marketing Manager
The New Zealand Wine Company
Phone: +64 21 964 743
Email: helen@nzwineco.co.nz
Winery and Cellar Door:
Grove Mill
Waihopai Valley Rd, Marlborough, New Zealand
Phone: +64 3 572 8200
For more information on the Green Ribbon Awards:
http://admin.beehive.govt.nz/release/green+ribbon+award+winners+announced+1
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/withyou/awards/green-ribbon.html