Carbonzero Certification With Italy's Top Selling Wine In Canada

Pinot Grigio Santa Margherita, Carbonzero Certification, and Tree Canada

To honour earth month 2014, Santa Margherita furthered their commitment to sustainability at home and abroad. From April 1st to April 26th, donating .50 cents from each sale of their celebrated Pinot Grigio. Wine purchased to support Tree Canada in building sustainable forests in local communities across Canada."Sustainable practices have always been a distinctive trait of Santa Margherita's wine production from grape to shelf, " says Federico Trost, Sommelier and Export Manager, "We take great pride in producing high quality, sustainable wines while taking steps to lower our carbon footprint in all our processes, from how we harvest our grapes, to how we produce and deliver our wine."

Partnering With Tree Canada

Santa Margherita decided to enter into a partnership with Tree Canada. The national organization develops programs that build and maintain urban and rural forests. As a result of this partnership, leadership in sustainable practices was brought to Canadian soil."We are excited to have partnered with a leader in sustainable practices and are impressed with Santa Margherita's efforts to use their influence in Canada to inspire local action," says Mike Rosen, President of Tree Canada.For over 20 years, Tree Canada has offered technical expertise, education, funding, and resources. Tree Canada has assisted green-thumbed individuals, groups, governments, and corporations. Trees are warriors in the fight against climate change. Forests absorb carbon, produce oxygen, and naturally cool our cities. Tree Canada has planted more than 80 million trees. In addition to tree planting they have greened more than 550 schoolyards. Tree Canada has helped in the greening of urban forests in over 500 Canadian communities.

Celebrating Carbonzero Certification with a Little "Extra" Gift From Santa Margherita

In addition to making a donation to Tree Canada, Santa Margherita wanted to include something extra for consumers. Ultimately deciding to include a neck tag made of basil paper with each bottle. By including this extra gift, Canadian consumers could start an herb garden of their own. Essentially, customers could celebrate carbonzero certification alongside the Wine Group. Customers could grow one of the most popular herbs used in Italian cuisine at home.Santa Margherita has a long history of sustainable practices. Agricultural policies have required large-scale investments in renewable energy sources and energy-saving projects. The wine group has taken their commitment a step further by producing the first and only Carbonzero Certified wine in Canada. The greenhouse gas emissions resulting from production and distribution of this product line has been removed and/or offset by investment in environmental initiatives.

Eliminating Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Santa Margherita has eliminated carbon dioxide emissions by directly intervening with the production cycle of their wine. In addition to this, the winery has employed compensatory real emission reductions in the form of carbon offsets. The carbon offsets acquired by Santa Margherita are meant to compensate for any carbon dioxide emissions that cannot be eliminated through production. Essentially, for Santa Margherita, this meant changes in transportion and distribution to achieve Carbonzero Certification.

Blazing the Trail to Carbonzero Certification in Canada

Carbonzero Certification often requires a combination of efforts. In Santa Margherita's case, ongoing initiatives include; producing renewable energy from solar and biomass, the recycling of waste byproducts, and the manufacturing of their own bottles. During 2013 alone, Santa Margherita had a huge impact. The company was able to reduce emissions equivalent to 197 barrels of oil, divert emissions equivalent to 46.3 tons of landfill waste, and minimize emissions associated with packaging and travel.

Working With Carbonzero

To offset what could not be reduced, Santa Margherita purchased 3,388 tonnes of carbon offsets through several high-quality Carbonzero projects in Canada.Santa Margherita established land management policies implemented from Alto Adige to Sicily. The wine group made major investments in energy-saving and renewable photo-voltaic systems. Santa Margherita has also completed a biomass plant and revolutionized their largest winery.The Wine Group's carbon neutral pinot grigio reflects true sustainability, not a superficial whim. The Santa Margherita approach has made a real difference to daily life throughout their winery estates, and will continue to do so. Carbonzero Certification is an extension of the winery's love of the land that they cultivate.

How Carbonzero Can Help Your Business Achieve Carbonzero Certification

Founded in 2006, Carbonzero is a Canadian leader of corporate carbon management strategies and solutions. Upon review, we found that Santa Margherita's Pinot Grigio had a carbon footprint of 1.67 kgCO2e/bottle, which is below the average footprint for a bottle of wine (approximately 2.2 KgCO2e/bottle). We provide carbon offsets to help where it's not possible to reduce emission."We applaud Santa Margherita's efforts to monitor, reduce, and offset their carbon footprint across the entire product from the vineyard, to production, to distribution," said Dan Fraleigh, Chief Operating Officer of Carbonzero.Carbonzero provides business owners with suggestions to help reduce their carbon footprints. Some of our suggestions are also good cost-savings measures. We can help if becoming a Carbonzero Certified business is of interest to you. We can suggest ways to cut back on production and delivery-based fuel that create more emissions and require greater offsets. Contact us to find out more today.