Sustainability at Fetzer Vineyards: A Regenerative Approach to Enhancing Environment and Communities

Fetzer Vineyards, a pioneer in sustainable winegrowing, announces the release of Road to Regeneration: Corporate Consciousness Report, highlighting key milestones achieved through 2016 and plans for a Net Positive future. With the California vintner approaching its 50th year of Earth-friendly winegrowing in 2018, the release of Fetzer Vineyards’ first-ever sustainability report marks an important step in the company’s sustainability journey. The release of Road to Regeneration also comes just days before COP23, the 2017 United Nations’ Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, where Fetzer Vineyards will receive a “Momentum for Change” award from the UN for its leadership in modeling sustainable practices for the wine industry.
 
Taking a Stand Since 1968 
Fetzer Vineyards understands that transforming the future requires not just small, incremental steps toward sustainability, but rather an ambitious framework – like regenerative development, highlighted in the report – applied to every part of its business. With an eye today to a Net Positive future, the vintner has been integrating pacesetting sustainability initiatives into its business for decades. Key milestones include a conversion to 100% organic farming in its Mendocino County, California vineyards in the 1980s; becoming the first U.S. vintner to operate on 100% green power, in 1999; reporting and verifying greenhouse gas emissions to The Climate Registry as early as 2005, the first U.S. winery to do so; becoming the first winery to achieve TRUE Zero Waste certification, in 2014; and becoming the world’s largest winery to obtain B Corporation certification, in 2015.
 
Inside Road to Regeneration
Though Fetzer Vineyards’ sustainability journey has been underway for many years, Road to Regeneration marks a key milestone as the winery looks to share its practices with a broader audience in hopes of inspiring others to pursue a regenerative approach to business. In the report, the vintner shares more on key progress towards its 2020 sustainability goals, its sustainability strategies, and highlights from 2016, including the following:

• The winery installed BioFiltro’s BIDA® System, a revolutionary wastewater treatment solution that functions as a passive aerobic bioreactor, using red worms and microbes to treat the winery’s wastewater 85% more efficiently than traditional aeration technologies, regenerate up to 17 million gallons of water annually, and create nutrient-rich compost for vineyards.
• To quickly pinpoint leaks and water waste incidents in real time, Fetzer Vineyards implemented advanced water metering technology, equipping 450,000 square feet of its Mendocino County, California facilities with 26 smart water meters that send data to the cloud for 24/7 real-time analysis and reporting. Expected savings: up to 4 million gallons of water per year.
• Complementing a commitment to renewable energy, Fetzer Vineyards reduced emissions through a variety of innovative mechanisms and began supporting pacesetting offset projects around the world to become the first U.S. winery certified CarbonNeutral® by Natural Capital Partners.

The Goal: Net Positive Wine
With the understanding that the road will not always be easy, Fetzer Vineyards is poised to take bold steps towards its vision of a regenerative, Net Positive company, and to be part of the movement to redefine what responsible business is all about. To this end, the winery has set a goal to be Net Positive by 2030, by which time it endeavors to replace all negative impacts with positive impacts that enhance and regenerate ecosystems and communities while producing sustainable growth for its business and shareholders. As a Net Positive business one day, Fetzer Vineyards will know that every time someone buys a bottle of Fetzer Vineyards wine, they’re making the world a better place.
 
Download the report at bit.ly/fetzer_susty
 
Media Contact: 
Courtney Cochran | Fetzer Vineyards
707.670.0268
courtney.cochran@fetzer.com
 
About Fetzer Vineyards
Founded in 1968 by Barney Fetzer in Mendocino County, California, Fetzer Vineyards is an award-winning purveyor of wines from sustainable, organic and biodynamic grapes. In addition to robust offerings under the winery’s flagship Fetzer label, the winery also crafts the leading wine from organic grapes, Bonterra Organic Vineyards, named the 2016 American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast magazine. Other California-based offerings include Adorada, Anthony’s Hill, Jekel Vineyards, Sanctuary Wines and 1000 Stories, a Bourbon barrel-aged Zinfandel recognized as a 2017 IMPACT Hot Prospect brand. Part of global winery Viña Concha y Toro, Fetzer Vineyards exports its diverse wines to more than 30 countries worldwide. Most recently, the winery entered the ultra-luxury wine and spirits category by forging a partnership with Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. to sell its historic craft rye whiskey. fetzer.com

Read the Report