Santa Margherita and Carbonzero Celebrate 10 Years of Partnership

Since 2013, Carbonzero and Santa Margherita have been working together to measure and mitigate the lifecycle climate impacts of their Pinot Grigio in Canada. This year, to celebrate the 10^th year of partnership, Santa Margherita and Dandurand organized a Sustainable Retreat for Canadian food and drink journalists and certified sommeliers, in addition to performing our annual life cycle analysis (LCA) on the bottle.

The concept of sustainable winemaking is nothing new for Santa Margherita. Since its inception in 1935, the winery has been whole-heartedly committed to environmental and social responsibility and regards sustainability as a touchstone for all that they do.

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Life Cycle Analysis on the Pinot Grigio

Santa Margherita first began working with Carbonzero in 2013 to gain an understanding of the product’s carbon footprint by performing a life cycle analysis (LCA) on Canada’s best-selling Pinot Grigio wine. Since then, the two companies have worked together to measure the carbon footprint of Santa Margherita’s Pinot Grigio year after year and create strategies to reduce the carbon footprint at every stage of the wine making process, from grape to shelf. To account for emissions that can’t be avoided through operational changes, Santa Margherita sources third-party verified carbon offsets from Carbonzero’s portfolio of Canadian projects.  

In 2022, Santa Margherita continued its efforts towards decarbonizing their Pinot Grigio through the initiation of a light-weighting pilot program, which saw the use of recycled glass, and the weight of the glass bottle decrease by 22% for approximately 15% of all production for Canadian distribution. Historically, the largest environmental impact of this wine has been the emissions associated with distribution from Italy to Canada and into retail stores across the country. Product mass plays a large part in the determination of distribution emissions, and with limited control over the downstream shipping of the wine product, light weighting the bottles to reduce both freight emissions and the life cycle emissions associated with the glass bottle.

The Sustainable Retreat

In partnership with Carbonzero’s Green Event Services, Santa Margherita and Dandurand hosted the Sustainable Retreat for local food and wine experts at the beautiful Drake Devonshire Hotel in Prince Edward County. The retreat aimed to provide attendees with a deeper understanding of Santa Margherita, and more specifically its Canadian top-seller, the Carbonzero Certified Pinot Grigio.

The retreat began with a passionate presentation by Giacomo Marzotto, Canadian Export Director of Santa Margherita Wine Group and grandson of its founder, Count Gaetano Marzotto. Giacomo gave a beautiful and detailed account of the winery’s history, highlighting its dedication to connecting people, nature, and technology. This was followed by Carbonzero’s presentation summarizing our decade-long relationship, and a delicious meal made with local ingredients from chefs at the Drake Devonshire Hotel.

To measure the carbon footprint of the Sustainable Retreat, Carbonzero focused on 4 main impact areas:

• Attendee Travel & Hotel Stays
• Venue Utilities
• Food, and
• Waste

Carbonzero provided recommendations as to how Santa Margherita and Dandurand could produce an event with the lowest carbon footprint possible. Through forward-thinking event planning and incorporating sustainability into the event’s planning process, the Sustainable Retreat’s carbon footprint was able to reduce by 61% by implementing the initiatives described below.

The Santa Margherita Sustainable Retreat could not have been a more perfect way to celebrate 10 years of partnership with Carbonzero. We take great pride in our relationship with Santa Margherita, and are looking forward to another 10 years of helping to measure and mitigate the environmental impact of their wine.

About Santa Margherita

Founded in 1935, Santa Margherita has been contributing to the international success of premium quality Italian wine for more than 80 years. This success has deep roots and strong bonds, backed by an approach mapped out by Santa Margherita’s founder, Count Gaetano Marzotto. Love and respect for the territory, attention to native grape varieties, a deep bond with tradition, and a ceaseless pursuit of quality are our founding principles, and they drive our passion every day.

About Carbonzero

Carbonzero has been a North American industry leader in greenhouse gas measurement, reduction, and carbon offsetting solutions for more than 15 years.

We support Canadian and international companies to measure their corporate greenhouse gas emissions and work with them to identify emissions reduction strategies. Carbonzero is also a provider of high quality and third-party verified carbon offsets and Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), which can be used as part of a company’s carbon neutral or net-zero strategy. As a trusted partner in the GHG emissions consulting market for more than a decade, Carbonzero is ready to support your business on its next corporate sustainability project.

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