Earthlings Report September 2023
We Asked, You Responded
Over the last four months, we have asked you, our customers, what is most important to you regarding environmentally sustainable practices. As a Sustainable Winemaking Ontario Certified (SWO) winery, the values of caring for our vineyards, our employees, and the community in which we belong, are part of our DNA and influences everything that we do.
We believe that living these values is an ongoing process and we continuously strive to improve our business practices to minimize our environmental footprint. Based on your response, we know that these values are important to you as well.
According to your responses, the top five sustainable practices that are important to you are as follows:
- Waste Management
- Packaging Innovation
- Biodiversity
- Water Management
- Energy Management
Over the next five months, we will delve into each of these topics in further detail. In our examination, we will explore how we think about each of these topics, how they impact our work and what practices we have incorporated to address and mitigate our impact.
Waste Management:
This topic explores how to take advantage of all opportunities to utilize materials and resources in a way that waste is minimized. By exploring how we can avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle, we can reduce the impact on landfills and the financial cost associated with removing waste from our property.
Packaging Innovation:
This topic explores how our wine is packaged and shipped to you. This includes the wine bottles we use, the packaging materials, shipment method and finally our Bring Back the Pack program.
Biodiversity:
This topic explores our vineyard practices that encourage the health and wellbeing of many kinds of life living in the vineyard. The Beamsville Bench is the home to diverse animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms that all work together to maintain a healthy and balanced ecosystem that supports all life.
Water Management:
Water is a key resource used throughout the winemaking process from vineyard to bottles including irrigation, cleaning, sanitation, and sterilization. This topic will explore our practices concerning water supply, water conservation and wastewater treatment.
Energy Management:
As wine making is an energy intensive process, using energy more efficiently is a primary goal of Malivoire. Energy conservation will not only minimize our environmental footprint but can also have a significant financial impact. With this topic we will explore practices such as refrigeration, lighting, cleaning, and equipment maintenance.
Written by: Johanna Cornelissen
