In a remarkable step towards ecological sustainability, Spain’s renowned winery Familia Torres is making significant strides with its Torres & Earth environmental program to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The winery has reduced its CO2 emissions per bottle by 36% from 2008 to 2022 from the vineyard to the consumer. This year, one of its most ambitious projects is to pilot a glass bottle reuse program for restaurants with possibility of launching it across EU if successful.
With an ambitious objective of attaining at least a 60% emissions decrease by 2030 compared to 2008 and aiming for net-zero emissions by 2040, Familia Torres is directing intensive efforts towards diverse strategies. These include harnessing renewable energies through photovoltaic self-consumption projects and biomass boilers, playing a pivotal role in emission reduction.
Furthermore, the winery is actively engaged in capturing and reusing CO2 emissions generated during the wine fermentation process, advocating for electric mobility, promoting organic vineyard rejuvenation, and embarking on extensive tree-planting endeavors. Notably, the 2022 balance sheet factors in CO2 absorption resulting from tree planting on self-owned lands in Chile — a venture initiated in 2019.
Expanding their commitment beyond in-house operations, Familia Torres is taking a holistic approach across the value chain. This includes innovative measures like deploying a CO2 calculator for grape suppliers, yielding substantial emission reductions transferred to the winery. Additionally, Familia Torres is exploring inventive solutions to minimize emissions linked to wine packaging, with a specific focus on reusing glass bottles in restaurants to curtail environmental impact.
A symbol of their dedication to circular economy principles, Familia Torres is a proactive participant in Spain’s REBO2VINO project — a pioneering endeavor aiming to assess the feasibility of glass bottle reuse for HORECA channel. Orchestrated by the Federación Española del Vino (FEV), this initiative seeks to lay the groundwork for a national model with potential applications across Europe.
This coming summer, an experimental pilot test will be carried out in five Garraf establishments to know the environmental, technical and economic impact of this circular economy system. The participating restaurants are La Caleta, Los Vikingos, Costa Daurada and Can Laury, from Sitges, and Can Lloses, from Sant Pere de Ribes.
Continuing their trajectory towards a sustainable future, Familia Torres has outlined several impactful actions for 2023. These encompass the execution of three new photovoltaic self-consumption projects atop the roofs of its main winery — an initiative projected to escalate total installed power by 25%. Additionally, the winery aims to amplify its innovative CO2 capture system during wine fermentation, a groundbreaking effort initiated during the 2021 harvest. This system captures CO2 generated in the fermentation process, repurposing it as an inert gas within wine vessels, effectively negating the necessity for external gas purchases.
Launched in 2008, the Torres & Earth program symbolizes Familia Torres’ commitment to addressing climate challenges and reducing their carbon footprint. With investments surpassing 19 million euros in adaptation and mitigation solutions, this program serves as a testament to the winery’s dedication to confronting climate change.
According to Miguel A. Torres, president of Familia Torres and promoter of the Torres & Earth environmental program: “in accord with scientific articles recently published in Nature journal, we are exceeding all limits for the Earth to be habitable, so we must accelerate and intensify efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, in all sectors and at all levels. Now more than ever, we must urgently decarbonize the economy and try to adapt to a climate reality that no one can question anymore.”
