California Winery Cuts Carbon Emissions With Lighter Bottles

The California winery started analyzing its carbon pollution in 2008.

“For us it was really eye opening,” says Julien Gervreau, vice president of sustainability.

He says they discovered that a huge amount of carbon pollution was caused by manufacturing wine bottles.

“The big ‘aha moment’ that we saw around our emissions was really with glass,” he says. “When you look at the supply chain for glass, it’s a pretty energy- and emissions-intensive process.”

So now, the winery not only invests in renewable energy and efficiency, it’s reduced the weight of each glass bottle of its Kendall-Jackson and La Crema Lines by a couple ounces.

“And in addition to emissions savings, we saw a pretty significant financial savings associated with having to buy less glass,” Gervreau says.

The winery was careful to avoid affecting the bottles’ look and feel, and Gervreau says customers have not complained. Meanwhile, shipping and sales clerks appreciate lifting lighter cases.

So cheers! Here’s to lighter wine bottles. And don’t worry, there’s still the same amount of wine inside.