CS-2014-GoGreen_Donnafugata_-ENG.pdf
Donnafugata, in Sicily, is a family business characterized by a long-term vision always aimed at environmental protection: from the heroic viticulture on Pantelleria, to the production of clean energy, and energy saving. To increase the sustainability of its production activities, in 2011 Donnafugata decided to calculate the Carbon Footprint of its wines and to communicate it on the label as from 2014.
A sticker on the back of all bottles for sale, in Italy and abroad, reports that Donnafugata carried out the calculation of the Carbon Footprint “from the vineyard to the bottling” and is committed to further improving its environmental performance. The sticker carries the logo of DNV GL – Business Assurance, a world leading certification body that has been following Donnafugata since its first Quality certification obtained in 2000. It also contains a QR code, which can be read by smartphones and tablets, that leads to a page on the company’s dedicated website that reports the main results of the study and a link to the Executive Summary (the summary of the DNV GL accounting).
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data are expressed in kg of CO2 (carbon dioxide) from a 0.75 bottle and have been segmented by product category.
The study of the productive cycle has seen the analysis of the following activities inside and outside the company.
The reprocessing of collected data has revealed some intervention areas for further reducing environmental impact. At Donnafugata, the “Raw and auxiliary materials” (56.7%) are recording the highest emissions of CO2 and among these the heaviest item is that of the glass bottles that consume a lot of energy in the production phase. Among the items that determine the CO2 emissions in second place we find the consumption of “Energy” (28.2%) related to agricultural practices at the stages of vinification, bottling, aging and more. In third place “Transport” (11.7%) due to the incoming Materials and transfer of musts and wine between the production sites. Other items represent 3.4%.
“To reduce the level of CO2 emissions attested by our first Carbon Footprint Accounting – says José Rallo of Donnafugata – we are focusing on the item with the greatest impact: the glass bottle. We have chosen a lighter bottle, produced in a glass factory closer to our bottling plant, thus sparing emissions from auxiliary Materials and Transport. As from January 2014, only in some markets that are more sensitive to environmental issues, Anthilia and Sedara, will be proposed in a lightweight bottle with screw cap. Modifying your production cycle requires commitment, teamwork and a strong motivation. Always focusing on quality, we are trying to share with today’s consumer the search for a more sustainable model of production from an environmental point of view. In this direction, our “call to action” to the consumer: announce our commitment and the results of our Carbon Footprint Accounting on the label.”
Public Relations:
Baldo M. Palermo [email protected] tel. 0039 0923 7242267
Laura Ellwanger [email protected] te. 0039 0923 724258
