Fetzer Vineyards Becomes Largest Winery in the World to Achieve B Corp Certification

20 Oct 2015 --- Mendocino County, Calif. -- Fetzer Vineyards announced today the Company became the largest wine company in the world to receive B Corp certification and joins McEvoy Ranch as one of only two B Corp-certified wineries in California. In addition to this achievement, Fetzer Vineyards also announced it is setting a goal to become a Net Positive company by 2030. With this goal, the Company commits to having a positive corporate footprint by putting more back into the natural environment and communities in which they work than they are taking out, resulting in a positive corporate footprint for Fetzer Vineyards.

"Today marks an exciting day in our journey to continue leading the wine industry in sustainable and ecologically innovative business practices with the formal announcement of our B Corp certification and commitment to achieve Net Positive status by 2030," stated Giancarlo Bianchetti, CEO of Fetzer Vineyards. "We have a long history steeped in sustainability and strive to be a model for how a commitment to sustainability can restore the natural environment, enhance the well-being of employees and community members, and contribute to sustainable business growth. The B Corp Community inspires us to be the best in the world, and also to be the best for the world."

There are more than 1,400 Certified B Corps from over 120 industries and nearly 40 countries with one unifying goal – to redefine success in business. The performance standards are comprehensive and transparent, and measure a company's impact on all of its stakeholders, including workers, suppliers, community, and the environment. The B Corp certification standards, developed by the non-profit B Lab, are widely recognized as the highest standards for social and environmental responsibility in business.

"We are thrilled to welcome Fetzer Vineyards to the B Corp community of people using business as a force for good," stated Jay Coen Gilbert, Co-Founder of B Lab. "A company of this size and caliber, that has been committed to sustainability for more than 40 years, is a leader and an inspiration to other wineries, and in fact companies of all industries, whether they are just starting out or are more advanced in their sustainability journey."

Fetzer Vineyards' Net Positive by 2030 goal is a continuation of its sustainability journey. To achieve the goal, the Company unveiled a regenerative strategy that will focus on ways it can restore, revitalize, and regenerate ecosystems and communities, while producing premium quality wines, advancing the health and well-being of employees, and producing sustainable growth for shareholders. These efforts will be led by Fetzer Vineyards' Director of Regenerative Development.

In order to become Net Positive by 2030 and continue to improve upon its B Corp status, Fetzer Vineyards has committed to additional short-term social and environmental targets: 

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Commit to becoming a Carbon Neutral company by 2016

Energy Use: Reduce energy use by 20% by 2020 (kwh/case produced)

Water: Reduce water use by 15% at the Mendocino County winery by 2020 (gallons/gallon wine produced)

Solid Waste: Achieve 99.9% diversion rate by 2020

Supply Chain: Attain 100% certification of sustainable grape suppliers sustainable by 2020

B Impact Score: Achieve 100 points on the Company's B Impact Score by 2020

With the use of 100% renewable energy for winery and production facilities, Zero Waste certification received in 2014, and a carbon neutral goal for 2016, the company has already neutralized what are traditionally some of the larger environmental impacts of doing business. Fetzer Vineyards' first step in achieving Net Positive status will be assessing all aspects of the organization to identify negative, neutral, and positive impacts, and from there develop a plan to eliminate negative impacts while increasing positive impacts.

"Continuous improvement, even at the highest levels of environmental leadership, is a key principle of the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing, and we are delighted to see that Fetzer Vineyards has achieved B Corp status and is strengthening its commitment to sustainability through a Net Positive commitment and new social and environmental targets," stated Allison Jordan, VP of Environmental Affairs for the Wine Institute. "We hope that Fetzer Vineyards will serve as a model for members of the wine community who are seeking stronger, certified, measurable sustainability initiatives from start to finish."