Environmental ethos at Lawson's Dry Hills

“It does change your thinking on every decision within your business and what impact that has on the environment,” he says of the company’s ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) and ISO 14064 (carbon zero) certifications.

Each of those platforms also provides a very strong and positive story for stakeholders, Sion says, noting that people, planet and profit have all been beneficiaries of Lawson’s work over the past decade. “And the pleasing thing that we see every day is that staff members, no matter what role they have in the organisation, are doing their bit.”

The company began this journey in 2010, when Sion resolved they could do more than meet obligations under Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand. By 2011 Lawson’s had gained ISO 14001 certification, which offered global recognition and a holistic approach to the environmental footprint of the entire business, “from vine to port”, he says. The certification provides a framework for an organisation to put in an effective environmental management system, and impetus for continual improvement, he told attendees of the New Zealand Winegrowers Tackling Climate Change webinar in June.

In 2020 Lawson’s achieved Toitū Envirocare carbonzero ISO 14064 certification, thanks in large part to the knowledge and gains from their ISO 14001. Toitū requires rigorous measurement of the company’s emissions, continuous improvement in cutting those they can, and carbon credit offsetting wherever they can’t.

Initiatives to reduce the operation’s emissions and environmental impact include the solar panels installed two years ago, which are intended to deliver up to 30% of the power needed for the winery, with 27% achieved last year. “While the pay back is known to be around seven years, for us it might be even shorter than that,” Sion told the webinar.

The company’s bottling line accrues a lot of plastic from pallets, but uses a bale press to compact it, then sends it to a company that makes slip sheets. They are also growing a fleet of electric and plug in hybrid cars, as the existing vehicles need replacing, and have purchased a tractor that is 25% more efficient than its predecessor.

Speaking at the Green Wine Future 2022 conference in May (page 13), Lawson’s Group Marketing Manager Belinda Jackson said the company’s commitment to low impact operations has resulted in 37% lower energy use per litre of wine compared to the industry average for wineries of equivalent size, and water use per litre of wine 57% below the industry average. She also spoke of the importance of independent auditing to provide assurance to export partners and other stakeholders.

Sion advises companies to grab lowhanging fruit as soon as possible, “The small wins are big contributors… and a great motivational factor as well.” The team is constantly looking at ways to reduce packaging, whether through lightweight bottles or compostable biodegradable labels, and is also restoring a wetland area on a vineyard, including through an annual working bee.

“Staff are so proactive in managing it, so it’s quite rewarding,” he says of the environmental ethos, while noting that it was not that way from the start. There was some eye rolling at the extra layers of bureaucracy in the early days, but he says getting a staff influencer on board was a key aspect, and helped change the culture of the business.

The programme was given another boost last year, when Lawson’s took out the wine industry category at the Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards. “We’re certainly doing our bit,” says Sion. “But to make real change, it needs to be industrywide and with some urgency.”