Packaging and Waste

Our ultimate aim is to be a Zero Waste Wine Company.  This involves the management of all waste streams including waste water, grape marc and other plant material as well as packaging to be utilised in other parts of the business  whether for irrigation or to make compost and mulch.

De Bortoli was an early signatory to the National Packaging Covenant. A covenant performance indicator is to reduce the environmental impacts of packaging by 65 per cent by 2010. This is being achieved through better design and production processes, closely managed disposal of used packaging materials and facilitating a greater ability to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Recycling and minimising waste are not just worthy and responsible practices for any company but also economically astute. Over the past six years, De Bortoli  Wines has focused on ways to reduce the amount of packaging we produce as well as investigating innovative ways to manage waste, the ultimate goal is to achieve waste-free wineries with managed waste streams that turns a profit. It is an approach that fits with our family owned company’s philosophy of leaving a sustainable legacy for future generations.

At our wineries in Bilbul [Riverina], Yarra Valley and the Hunter Valley, waste-water is being treated and recycled for irrigation. Grape marc is increasingly being used for compost and mulch helping to improve soil quality, reduce the use of fertilisers and further reduce our consumption of water by dramatically improving water retention.

De Bortoli Wines was a driving force behind the Riverina Winemakers Association’s Environment Policy. The policy concentrates on ways to reuse and quantify solid waste from wineries. Outcomes so far have included a register of recyclers, a regular newsletter and a TAFE level course designed at improving environmental awareness among winery employees.

The more we look at ways to reduce and recycle waste and manage our waste streams efficiently, the more we are discovering innovative ways to make this happen. It is an important part of our plan to lessen the impact of our winemaking on the environment and make De Bortoli wines secure and sustainable into the future.