Champagne Telmont won ‘Green Packaging Initiative of the Year’ at the Global Drinks Intel ESG Awards in 2025 and ‘Sustainable Wine Product’ in 2024. What recent ESG initiative or improvement are you most proud of?
One milestone we are particularly proud of is becoming the first Champagne house to achieve Regenerative Organic Certified [ROC] certification on our organic-certified vineyard last year.
ROC goes beyond organic farming: it requires the complete elimination of synthetic inputs while also promoting soil regeneration, biodiversity and fair conditions for the people who work the land. It reflects the philosophy we have been pursuing for years, that ‘the wine is good if the Earth is beautiful’. Great wine can only come from living soils and a healthy ecosystem.
This certification is an important step in our long-term ambition to convert 100% of our vineyards, and those of our partner growers, to organic and regenerative agriculture by 2031.
What do you feel is the biggest ESG challenge facing the drinks industry today?
The speed of transformation. Climate change is already affecting vineyards around the world – over the last 30 years, the average temperature in the Champagne region has increased by about 1.1°C – and the industry must accelerate the transition to more sustainable agricultural practices while drastically reducing its carbon footprint.
Telmont has the ambition of reaching net zero by 2050, which means reducing our emissions by around 90% across the entire value chain. This requires rethinking everything, from farming methods and packaging to logistics and energy use.
The good news is that innovation is everywhere; the real challenge now is collective action and scaling these solutions across the industry.
What one piece of advice would you give companies looking to strengthen their ESG performance?
If there’s one message we would share, it’s that you can be radical and still grow.
Too often, sustainability is perceived as a constraint, or a cost. Our experience at Telmont shows the opposite: bold decisions – whether removing gift boxes, stopping air freight or investing in organic and regenerative viticulture – can strengthen a brand and resonate deeply with consumers.
When sustainability is authentic and embedded in the core of your strategy, it becomes a driver of trust, differentiation and, ultimately, growth.
How has winning a Global Drinks Intel ESG Award impacted your approach?
These recognitions are incredibly encouraging for our team! They confirm that bold decisions – whether launching a 100% organic cuvée like Réserve de la Terre, awarded Sustainable Wine Product in 2024, or pioneering innovations such as the 800g champagne bottle, which received Green Packaging Initiative of the Year in 2025 – are meaningful achievements.
More than anything, though, awards motivate us to go further and faster. Sustainability is a long journey, and recognition from the industry strengthens our conviction that change is possible when ambition and vision meet action – all in the name of Mother Nature!
