SBTi Walks Back Carbon Offset Change, Scotland Pushes Climate Targets
AB InBev debuts ‘US farmed’ label
AB InBev is the first brand to debut new ‘US farmed’ certification. The label, created by the American Farmland Trust, is anticipated to become the equivalent of a ‘Made in USA’ label, but for packaged food and drink products. Days after announcing they would allow carbon offsets, SBTi, facing internal and external pressure quickly walks back their statement. Packaging news from Coca-Cola who continues to make small, incremental progress towards reducing virgin plastic use; Champagne Telmont to use a range of color outtakes from their recent packaging change to reduce waste, and make a statement. A look at Miyawaki forests to bolster sustainability; new tech may make it possible to recover fertilizer from wastewater; a groundbreaking study points to a win-win for humans and the environment in every category of diversification.
Regulations
Global: In a very quick about face, The Science Based Targets initiative said there was “no change” to its standards, after three days earlier stating that companies would be able to use carbon offsets to meet their climate goals. The Financial Times
The decision to allow offsets was backed by SBTi funder the Bezos Earth Fund, a significant supporter of a US effort to boost the market for carbon credits in return for the replacement of energy systems powered by fossil fuels.
Scotland: Scotland’s 2030 climate targets are now “out of reach” and a new policy framework is to be introduced, per Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy Màiri McAllan. renews.biz
It will set out a “target approach based on five-yearly carbon budgets” while the legal commitment to hitting net zero by 2045 remains unchanged, she said.
It follows a Climate Change Committee report last month that warned the government’s target for reducing emissions by 75% by 2030 was “no longer credible” amid a string of policy delays.
Packaging
Global: Coca-Cola hits another evolution in its quest to reduce virgin plastic in its bottles. Fast Company
Coca-Cola Co. is rolling out three new bottle designs for Coca-Cola, Sprite, and brands like Fanta, and Minute Maid.
About 10 years ago, a plastic Coca-Cola bottle weighed 27 grams. In 2023, it weighted 21 grams. Now, it weighs 18.5 grams.
The shift in packaging aligns with the company’s goal to reduce the amount of virgin PET plastic it uses while increasing the amount of recycled PET.
In 2022, the company used just 17% of recycled PET in its North America bottles and is targeting 20% to 22% this year, with the goal of reaching 50% of recycled content by 2030.
New engineering has overcome the fact that lighter and thinner bottles lost carbonation faster, resulting in a shorter shelf-life. The piece delves into the specifics of how they do it.
Champagne, France: Champagne Telmont has decided to use the glass produced during the transition between two different shades.
During a conventional color transition in a glass maker's furnace, a certain amount of glass does not match chromatic standards. It's this part of the production that Telmont has decided to use to break with Champagne standards.
This choice will bring Telmont to develop a multitude of variations on the main Champagne color transition. 193,000 bottles in shades ranging from green to cinnamon will be released each year.
Marketing
US: A selection of AB InBev brands will soon feature a label that identifies the beer’s ingredients having been ‘US farmed’. The Drinks Business
The label, which has been created by the American Farmland Trust, is anticipated to become the equivalent of a ‘Made in USA’ label, but for packaged food and drink products.
To be awarded the label, at least 95% of the weight of the product’s contents must be farmed in the US, excluding water, packaging, and labelling. The claims must be verified by the American Farmland Trust’s certification board.
Researchers from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business found that after four products were forced to drop their ‘Made in USA’ labels, weekly sales for three of the four plummeted.
Surrey, England: Denbies Wine Estate in Surrey has achieved Net Zero status, complying with framework set out by the UK Carbon Code of Conduct (UKCCC) to be certified Net Zero; notably without the use of carbon offsets. The Drinks Business
The estate, 153 hectares in the Surrey Hills, South East England, took several measures to reach the milestone, including leaving 10 acres (4ha) of land within the vineyard in its natural state to encourage biodiversity and installing self-generating green energy was also installed on the winery’s buildings.
Napa, California: Fior di Sole‘s bottling line facility is CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) Certified. Press release via Wine Business
US: A survey of 2000 US consumers by Propel Software has revealed that 68% of adult males and 55% of adult females describe eco-friendly products or causes as important when they make purchasing decisions. Packaging Gateway
Almost half (45%) US consumers reported if they discovered that a favorite brand was “greenwashing” its products, they would be likely to purchase from an eco-friendly competitor instead.
Americans will spend 33% more on green products in 2024 than in 2023.
Consumers plan to spend an average of $12,000 on eco-friendly and sustainable products in 2024, up from the reported $9,000 the previous year.
Chile: La Playa Wines has earned the "Certified Sustainable" accreditation in Chile. Press Release via Wine Business
They are also a member of 1% for the Planet.
Hopland, California: Bonterra Organic Estates, has launched season two of its podcast, Soil to Soul, designed to generate thought-provoking conversations about wine in a changing world. Press release via Wine Industry Advisor
Hosted by Jess Baum, Bonterra’s Senior Director of Impact, season two delves into the dynamic landscape of grape growing and winemaking, navigating topics from climate adaptation to evolving societal values.
Natural Resources
San Joaquin Valley, California: The State Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously to start overseeing groundwater pumping in the Tulare Lake Sub basin meaning state, not local officials, will temporarily watch how much water can be pumped from the ground. AP
It’s the first area in California to go through this process under the state’s landmark groundwater law that aims to keep water flowing sustainably after years of drought and over pumping has led to problems with groundwater quality and the sinking of land.
Diversity & Equity
Australia: Max Allen profiles Women and Revolution (WaR), an association of female wine professionals founded in Sydney in late 2020 that now boasts around 200 members across Australia. Jancisrobinson.com
WaR have developed a series of pilot programs called Outspoken, where small groups take online classes with experts from outside the industry: the first, led by a speech coach, covered public speaking and debating; the next, led by a music-industry lawyer, will cover negotiation skills.
North Bay, California: On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, the Napa | Sonoma chapter of Women For WineSense (WWS) will host a workshop “Advancing Your Career: Strategies & Tools for Standing Out in Today’s Market.” Press release via Wine Business
The event will be held in two formats, hosted onsite at Napa Valley’s Trefethen Family Vineyards from 3:00 – 5:30 p.m. PT
California: A profile of Monica Lopez, the vintner of Aldina Vineyards, the first woman to be elected president of the Mexican-American Vintners Association. The Press Democrat
Established in 2010, the group is comprised of 17 member-vintners who are largely from Sonoma and Napa counties.
Viticulture
Edna Valley, California: Chamisal Vineyards in the Edna Valley AVA, a cool climate wine-growing region near San Luis Obispo, has become one of, if not the first winery to use a Miyawaki forest to bolster sustainability on site. Men’s Journal
These small, dense forests were first used in 1976 in Japan to increase forest growth in urban areas.
Native trees and other woodland plants are planted extremely close together, forcing them to compete for resources and grow rapidly.
Though the forests do require tending at first, within three years they become self-sustaining.
They cool air temperature in the surrounding area drops by up to five degrees, they help reduce pollution in the air, and become carbon sinks, emitting more carbon than they take in.
Côte d’Ivoire: Cocoa farmers are experimenting with biochar to boost yields and soil quality. AgTechNavigator
Using cacao husks and other agricultural waste, the Kapatchiva Cooperative is working with BIO4Africa on a pilot project investigating the soil amendment properties of biochar.
The cooperative, committed to ending chemical fertilizers and pesticides for its 3,000 farmer members; expects a positive impact on farmer incomes as well as soil.
Waste Reduction
Finland: NPHarvest, a spin-off from Aalto University in Finland, has developed a novel and soon to be patented hardware solution for collection and recycling of nutrients from wastewater. AgTechNavigator
The hardware makes it possible to catch nutrients on a real commercial level, the company claims.
It can catch up to 90% of the excess from wastewater, separate the nutrients and sell them back to fertilizer companies.
Singapore: A new technique used to extract more than 80% of the protein from grain leftovers when making beer has been created by scientists to reduce brewing waste. The Drinks Business
Researchers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore (NTU Singapore), recently published their finding in Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies journal.
Residue leftover from malted barley after brewing beer, often referred to as spent grain, is a byproduct that makes up 85% of the total waste during the process.
Currently, worldwide, approximately 36.4 million tons of spent grain is produced every year, but new techniques will change this and make beer more sustainable and ecological.
The scientists revealed that if using their protein extraction method the extracted proteins could be incorporated in foods, offering the potential to significantly enhance its nutritional value and assist in helping people meet their daily protein goals.
Sustainability
Global: A large study incorporating data from over 2000 farms spread across 11 countries has made a landmark discovery: almost across the board, diversifying farmland simultaneously delivers environmental and social benefits. Anthropocene Magazine
The study, published in Science, showed clear overlaps in biodiversity gains and food security.
The project involved an international team who collaborated to bring together their published research on the topic, 24 studies that looked at over 2,655 farms—from smallholder plots in Malawi to large scale monocultures in the United States.
These papers covered dozens of diversifying methods across the studied farms: from farmers incorporating hedgerows and flower strips, to cover cropping and crop rotation, applying compost and biochar, and increasing the variety of livestock on their land.
They modeled how each of those practices influenced six different environmental and social outcomes, including biodiversity and ecosystem services, food security and yield.
Those outcomes were taken as a function of the degree of diversification, and the number of practices adopted, on each farm.
What immediately leapt out in the analysis was a striking finding: diversification led to win-win outcomes for humans and the environment. In fact, in every category of diversification practices the researchers analyzed, these practices led to both environmental and social gains.
Climate Change
US: We missed this at the end of last week, but Newsweek has published a piece on climate change and wine regions at risk; including lots of input from Tablas Creek, and details on the recently released study in the monthly journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment which sounded more alarm bells for regions at threat throughout the world by study coauthor Gregory Gambetta.