- Sustainability
- March 21th, 2024
Viña Concha y Toro’s commitment to the care of forests and water
As part of the celebration of International Forest Day and World Water Day, we present some of the initiatives that show the company’s commitment to the care of these resources.
Viña Concha y Toro has 4,272 hectares of native forest in Chile, which we protect and conserve, complying with high international standards. Since 2019, we have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council – FSC®, an international organization dedicated to promoting responsible forest management of the world’s forests. Through this certification process, our native forest conservation effort demonstrates its positive contribution to the planet. One of the positive contributions generated by our native forests is the capture of carbon from the atmosphere, which amounts to more than 10,000 tons of CO2 per year, a figure similar to the emissions from our agricultural activities.
Concha y Toro’s Agricultural Division promotes the conservation and regeneration of Chile’s native forests and has managed to maintain the certification for five years, improving its performance at each stage. Among the requirements, the relationship with the community regarding natural resources is key to the correct protection and care of the forest. In successive FSC® external audits, this has been an issue highlighted by the auditors.
In addition, within the framework of the Forest Conservation Program, and aligned with Viña Concha y Toro’s Sustainability Strategy, there is a cooperation agreement with the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), in order to protect and enhance the existing native forest on the company’s land, generating a “Fire Protection and Native Forest Regeneration Plan for Viña Concha y Toro”. This plan is essential to protect our vineyards and reduce the threat caused by the growing forest fires in the central zone.
Water Care
Water is one of the main resources used by the company to ensure the growth of quality grapes and to enable the production of excellent wines.
As a company we understand that we must use this vital and necessary resource, therefore we have the Zero Water Waste Program, which seeks to generate positive impacts on our planet, using only the necessary water.
Our goal for 2025 is to achieve a 10% reduction in water consumption per bottle of wine from the vineyard to the final destination. This is an ambitious goal given that our vineyards are 100% drip irrigated, ensuring one of the lowest water consumption in agriculture. As a reference, 99% of the company’s annual water consumption goes to irrigate vineyards. Therefore, the role of technological innovation in irrigation is fundamental. The Agricultural Division is making progress in the automation of irrigation systems, ensuring their efficiency and accuracy with predictive models implemented in all the company’s fields.
It is important to collaborate with this goal, which is why the company has a Water Leading Group, a collaborative and multidisciplinary work instance designed to provide operational and transversal governance for water-related issues through an “Operational Water Master Plan”, where the Agricultural, Winemaking, Bottling, Engineering and Sustainability divisions participate, led by the operational excellence management.