Torres hits emissions target early

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 02 June, 2020

Catalonia-based wine producer Familia Torres has hit its target of reducing carbon emissions by 30%, when measured against levels in 2008, a year early.

The family-owned winery had intended to achieve its aim this year, its 150th anniversary, but its 2019 carbon footprint inventory revealed it was ahead of schedule.

The emissions target encompasses the company’s whole production cycle, from vineyard to consumer.

Miguel A. Torres, the fourth-generation president of Familia Torres, said: “We made an enormous effort to reach our emissions reduction target, which we considered very ambitious at the time.

“Now is the moment to push for even more ambitious environmental actions to mitigate global warming and protect winegrowing from its effects.”

The Penedès winery has now set itself the target of reducing carbon emissions by 55% against 2008 levels by 2030.

In related news, Familia Torres has reduced its overall carbon footprint by 55% in the last decade.

The company credits a number of factors with its success. It has been working with suppliers which have low-carbon footprints, and it has also invested heavily in renewable energy and energy-efficiency measures.

It has cut gas consumption at its Pacs del Penedès winery by 95% through the use of a biomass boiler, while its wineries across Spain generate more than 1,500 kW of solar energy.

Familia Torres has supported a range of wider initiatives to further the environmental cause, including backing Fridays For Future, the international youth movement inspired by activist Greta Thunberg, partnering with California’s Jackson Family winery to launch International Wineries for Climate Action, and taking an active role in the Climate Change Leadership Conference that resulted in the Porto Protocol.

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