Chile’s biggest winery is one of 30 companies to sign the Clean Production Agreement (Acuerdo de Producción Limpia, APL in Spanish), whose objective is to reach zero emissions and thus avoid the use of landfills or dumps.

The initiative – which has an initial plan of action of 24 months – was driven by the “Agencia de Sustentabilidad y Cambio Climático” as well as “ACCIÓN Empresas” to reduce solid industrial waste and instead increase its value. The signing of the agreement is a motivation for companies to keep implementing zero emission guidelines, which will help establish a new paradigm of development: the circular economy.

Sustainability has been a part of Viña Concha y Toro’s corporate vision since 2008, when the Sustainable Development branch was created. From that date onwards, the company has carried out activities which have had to do with reducing solid waste, which the winery had been producing for decades. The main goal of Viña Concha y Toro’s initiative is the consistent reduction of its carbon footprint.

“For many years now we have been carrying out methods which have contributed to the environment, such as the use of precision irrigation or the solarisation of pomaces and stalks” highlights Valentina Lira, Sustainability Manager of Viña Concha y Toro.

Zero waste

Lira claims that the experience of its Fetzer Vineyards affiliate, located in California, USA, has helped as a benchmark in terms of zero emissions. The company not only produces no waste, it also operates exclusively on renewable energy.

Viña Concha y Toro is replicating the experience of its North American affiliate in order to reach this zero waste target, of which Valentina Lira asserts they have accomplished 96%.

“In our country, there is no industrial waste management, which is a challenge. Therefore, it makes sense to us that key actors, such as the recycling companies that form the National Recycling Association (Asociación Nacional de Reciclaje, ANIR), take part in the Clean Production Agreement, because this can generate a chain reaction. A company can have every intention of recycling, but at the moment, there is nowhere for them to send the waste they want to recycle”, concludes Valentina Lira.