meeting our commitments
Improving our performance and delivering innovation allows us to support employment, to invest further, and to meet commitments to suppliers - like the 25 year contracts agreed with growers.
Across all areas of activity, we are always looking for ways to improve our performance, to reduce our impact on the environment, and to promote the responsible enjoyment of alcohol.
Improving our performance and delivering innovation allows us to support employment, to invest further, and to meet commitments to suppliers - like the 25 year contracts agreed with growers.
Action to be more sustainable is engrained for us. A key consideration in any activity is to consider how the environmental impact can be reduced and the use of recycled or reused materials increased.
We support and work with partners that provide education and information so that everyone can have a sensible relationship with alcohol whether they choose to drink or not.
We have planted over 1,000 acres of new orchards since 2013, adding over 400,000 trees to the landscape. The 25-year contracts agreed with farmers are part of our commitment to a sustainable rural economy for decades into the future. And we ensure that the pomace - the remains of the apple after pressing – is reused as biofertiliser to generate energy.
As a result of action by all colleagues and in every part of our business we achieved our target ahead of schedule and now send no waste to landfill.
Our decision to reduce PET pack sizes means 43 million fewer units of alcohol are consumed each year. As a Portman Group member, we support responsible drinking habits and a balanced understanding of the issues around alcohol – including effective and targeted action to reduce the harm resulting from misuse.
Our action on packaging includes investment so that 51% of our large PET packaging is made from recycled materials – saving the equivalent of 25 million plastic bottles annually. We are also replacing shrink wrap and plastic rings with card equivalents.
Working with the local water company we developed an innovative system that uses the River Severn to improve the environmental impact of our Cider Mill at Stourport-on-Severn.
During the intensive apple pressing period there would typically be a need to use a significant amount of energy to cool the process of concentrating the fresh juice pressed from the apples.
However, our unique and entirely self-contained system, diverts water from the river flowing past the site to condense vapours. No water is lost before it is returned to the River Severn only a fraction warmer than when it was taken – so there is no impact on the wildlife or the ecosystem.
This imaginative solution negates the need for an unsightly cooling tower and saves on energy use, reducing our carbon footprint. It also means we do not use chemicals that would be required in other settings.
This intelligent example of innovation in action has been recognised several times, including an international award celebrating the best in water management.
We are committed to doing more.
Future innovation and investment will continue to reduce our impact on the environment. And we will reuse materials where we can or seek those with recycled content.
We will also continue to insist on clarity and context on the issues around alcohol – like duty, promotion and misuse – so that policies and approaches developed are effective, proportionate and targeted.
As part of our work in this area, the expertise, experience and insight in our business is made available to support action on sustainability – like being a founding member of the UK Plastics Pact.
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