South Australia’s Taylors Wines is the first independent Australian winery to become a signatory to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), setting emissions targets in line with the Paris Agreement.
The family-owned winery intends to achieve a 50 per cent reduction in its scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, in line with the more ambitious target of limiting climate change to 1.5°C under the Paris Agreement.[1]
The 2030 target provides a clear pathway for the winery to show it is on track to becoming net-zero by 2050.
Taylors joins 31 other leading Australian businesses including Woolworths, Telstra, and Bank Australia who have committed or set specific targets to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
The signing of this commitment is the latest sustainability milestone by the Taylor family who have long championed innovative practices to reduce its impact on the environment.
“As viticulturalists we’ve always been intimately connected to the climate and changes in the seasons. Our industry has seen first-hand the significant impacts of climate change on wine regions around the world. As a multi-generational family winery, creating a sustainable business is essential to the future of our industry and to the planet,” third-generation Winemaker and Managing Director Mitchell Taylor said.
“The targets we’ve set with the SBTi touch on many aspects of our winery operations and vineyards. We hope our commitment to this initiative inspires others in the Australian wine industry to set Science Based Targets to reduce their emissions.
Taylors Wines has implemented a number of sustainability initiatives including:
- Energy-efficient tank refrigeration and barrel hall temperature control
- Regeneration of the local Wakefield River catchment area
- Organic cultivation practices in the vineyards including the use of sheep to manage winter grass and weed growth
- Water management through the use of its onsite wastewater recycling facility; lined dams; computer-controlled, need-only drip irrigation lines and mulch under vines to reduce evaporation
- Taylors has become a member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia – a collaborative initiative for Australia’s grape growers and winemakers to demonstrate a continued improvement in sustainability in viticulture and winemaking
Taylors’ announcement aligns with the Australian industry’s broader goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 as a part of the Australian Grape & Wine and Wine Australia’s ‘Vision 2050’ plan.
SBTi is a collaboration between CDP Global, the United Nations Global Compact (UN Global Compact), World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The initiative advocates science-based target setting as a practical and powerful tool that brings the world’s organisations together to set verifiable emissions reductions targets in an effort to transition to a low-carbon economy.
The Taylor family is no stranger to paving new paths committed to sustainability in the wine industry. At its Clare Valley vineyard and winery site, Taylors has maintained its ISO 14001 Certification for its Environmental Management System (EMS) for over a decade. This EMS assists in the identification and control of environmental impacts across the family’s business whilst providing a framework for continuous improvements in environmental management.
By setting its emissions reduction targets with SBTi, Taylors will annually report its company-wide scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions inventory and progress against published targets. The winery is currently working with consulting group Edge Environment to implement the first of its identified capital investments to reduce its emissions, while also exploring new projects and efficiencies within the business.
Mitchell Taylor added: “Climate change is a significant threat to the sustainability of the global wine and grape-growing industry. All wineries big and small should consider the impact we have on the environment and make serious decisions on what changes we can make to ensure Australian wine can thrive for many years to come.”
[1] Based on an assessment of Taylors Wines emissions from FY2018.
