Winner – Treasury Wine Estates
As one of the world’s leading luxury wine companies, Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has a stated ambition to “lead the wine and beverages industry in sustainability”, with sustainability a dedicated function within the company’s supply division.
Renewable electricity is used across 100% of TWE’s global operations, thanks to a multi-year investment of AUD29m in on-site solar generation. The company is aiming to reach net zero for Scope 1 and Scope 2 by 2030, and has already reduced carbon emissions in these areas by 66% since the 2021 financial year. Work is ongoing to refine TWE’s Scope 3 inventory, alongside tackling material emission sources such as glass.
Water is another key issue, with the company’s global water strategy recognising its role as “stewards of water” in the regions where it grows grapes and makes wine. Smart water meters have been installed in 100% of TWE’s vineyard, winery and packaging locations that operate in high- and medium-risk catchments.
The company’s inclusion, equity and diversity policy is “grounded in the protection of human rights”: by June last year – the end of TWE’s 2024 financial year – 49.2% of senior leadership roles were occupied by women, and 44.5% of total employees were women. Women also occupy 55.6% of TWE board positions.
The group has a stated commitment to responsible alcohol consumption. Reflecting this and the consumer health & wellness trend, the company has invested AUD15m (then-US$9.8m) in the production of no- & low-alcohol wine, spearheaded by a patent-pending process at its Barossa Valley site in South Australia.
Community initiatives include giving employees two days of paid leave a year to volunteer at community organisations. Meanwhile, the ‘Penfolds Evermore’ grant programme has distributed in the region of AUD400,000 to recipients across Australia and France over the past two years.
In the vineyard, TWE has partnered with Australia’s national science agency to develop grapevines with advanced mildew-resistant traits. The company holds sustainability certifications across 99% of owned and leased winery and vineyard sites, through locally recognised certifications such as Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing, France’s Haute Valeur Environnementale and Italy’s VIVA Sustainable Wine.
To ensure accuracy and alignment with key international standards such as GRI, RE100, GHG Protocol, etc, KPMG provides TWE with limited assurance against a range of metrics each year.
Our judges said: “These are demonstrable, solid commitments from TWE. The company has managed to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 66% since 2021. There’s also a strong focus on water stewardship, with the installation of smart water meters.”
