Fetzer Vineyards said it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout all scopes of its business, including transportation and product end-of-life, while increasing carbon drawdown through enhanced regenerative agriculture programs.
The objective is to help limit global average temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius, and to becoming climate positive in its business operations by 2030.
This three-step process of reducing emissions, insetting carbon, and offsetting any remaining unavoidable emissions will allow the business to become as carbon-efficient as possible, then go further by sequestering more carbon than it is emitting, Fetzer said in announcing it had signed a climate emergency declaration letter.
The winery said it will report regularly and transparently on its progress toward climate positive operations, with milestones tied to science-based targets and in line with the tenets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDGs are a global standard and the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all, addressing global challenges faced around the world including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice, Fetzer said.
In keeping with the spirit of the SDGs, Fetzer Vineyards’ commitment to achieving climate positive business operations will require ensuring that initiatives provide for a “just transition” that takes into account the welfare of people and communities implicated by the climate crisis.
Fetzer Vineyards has long focused on regenerative agriculture and climate-smart business practices aimed at reducing overall environmental impact. In declaring a climate emergency, Fetzer signaled a refocusing of its efforts toward even more ambitious, transformational initiatives to address the catastrophic nature of the climate crisis.
The winery said it will pair this operational transformation with ongoing climate policy advocacy work and collaborative initiatives within the wine industry, with the goal to ignite collective action and avoid the life-altering challenges the world will face if it fails to act.
“We have a moral responsibility as a business to take swift action on the climate crisis,” said CEO Giancarlo Bianchetti. “As the historic source of a significant amount of the planet’s greenhouse gases, the business sector has a unique opportunity to demonstrate leadership in the context of the climate crisis by eliminating emissions and drawing down carbon as rapidly as possible. This declaration reaffirms our commitment to doing so.”