Ferngrove Sustainability Policy

Sustainability Policy

At Ferngrove, our commitment to making the best possible wines mean that sustainability is at the centre of everything we do. This means improving the environmental, social and economic aspects of our business and the impacts on the community around it. Our commitment is to be better and do good.

Since 2005 we have been a signatory member to the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation and a member of Sustainable Wine Growing Australia.

At Ferngrove we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint, with a focus on plans that enhance our natural environment. Our goal is to analyse every aspect of our business practices, ensuring our actions minimise the impact of our activities on the environment.

We aim to –

  • Manage water more efficiently in both vineyard and winery and look to utilise waste water where possible
  • Prioritising and reducing energy consumption and promote efficient energy practices utilising our 250 KW solar facility
  • Promote healthy ecosystems within our vineyards and replace chemicals with natural weed and pest control
  • Continue to divert waste from landfill and identify recycling options whilst working closely with suppliers for the highest amount of recycled content in all dry goods
  • Fostering stronger relationships with their supply chain and local communities

Our specific initiatives include-

Responsible Winemaking:

Ongoing pursuit of renewable energy, efficient catchment of winter rainfall and responsible wastewater treatment, achieved through-

  1. Stormwater catchment
  2. Winter harvesting of pure rainfall
  3. Minimal application for vine balance (not yield) via drip irrigation and timely application via soil moisture monitoring
  • Harnessing solar energy through a 250 KW system
  • 100% LED lighting, throughout our warehousing and winery operations, dramatically lowering power usage
  • Improved Winery technology, including;
    1. Upgrade and improved winery refrigeration
    2. Cross flow filtration adopted for wine filtration, minimising losses and eliminating use of diatomaceous earth
  • Sustainable Winegrowing Australia membership, providing benchmarking tools and resources for planning, evaluation and control

Viticulture & Biodiversity:

Optimising vine and soil health means nurturing an ecosystem that promotes biodiversity. This is achieved through-

  • Sustainable vineyard practices, utilising state of the art equipment and mechanical weed control to eliminate herbicide from our vineyards
  • Use of sustainable and certified products for pest and disease control, reducing reliance on copper to avoid build-up of copper toxicity in soils
  • Minimised machinery movements to reduce soil compaction
  • Use of continuous logging soil moisture probes to monitor and optimise irrigation inputs
  • Introduction of merino ewes for inter-vine mowing and natural fertilisation

Packaging and Recycling Policy:

Partnering with sustainable, like-minded companies in the production and recycling of packaging materials. This is achieved through –

  • Procurement of all dry goods (glass, cartons, dividers, caps, pallets and labels) within the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines
  • 100% or close to recyclable products to consumers and use of recycled products across packaging where available
  • Developing closed loop relationships with suppliers and local businesses, ensuring responsible reuse or recycling of 100% of cardboard, glass, paper and plastic waste produced on site
  • Monitoring of recycled waste products to measure waste diverted from landfill and ongoing pursuit of new recycling opportunities; e.g.
    • Glass bottles @ Malaga warehouse…
    • Glassine wrapping from label backings collected for tissue paper production
    • Trial and usage of compostable pallet wrap
    • Compliance with Australasian Recycling Labelling Program packaging recommendations
    • Promote on-site recycling across all sites including offices, warehouse, winery and staff housing.