Sustainability Initiatives & Practices
Our goal is to embed sustainable principles at every level of our decision-making process, ensuring we minimise our impact on the environment and help foster a sustainable future for all. To this end (a) a carbon footprint report has been conducted by CarbonQuota (b) we have asked our team to complete a sustainability survey (c) we have carried out a questionnaire amongst our producers to gather data about their approach to sustainability. We have identified the following areas of our business to focus on: producers, shipping and logistics, our workspace, the Bancroft team.
Producers
- Bancroft is committed to working with sustainable wine producers.
- Our producer questionnaire requested details on sustainable certification (organic, biodynamic, other), sustainability in the vineyard and winery, sustainability in local communities, details on packaging and glass weight, and specific initiatives to reduce carbon footprint.
- 32% of our core producers are currently certified as either organic or biodynamic and over half are sustainable.
- We will continue to encourage our supply chain to adhere to sustainable principles and to identify opportunities for further progress. For example, reduce packaging and reduce carbon footprint, increase recycling.
Shipping and logistics
- Bancroft is committed to working with sustainable shipping and logistics partners. We have requested information from our all partners on their sustainability commitments.
- We will work with partners to ensure that they adhere to their existing commitments and have ambitious plans (e.g. wind powered vessels and roll out of electric delivery vehicles).
- We continue to purchase as efficiently as possible by filling pallets and shipping in full containers. We try to shift as much freight as we can from lorries to ships or trains. We have moved to a new warehouse at LCB powered by wind energy – sensor controlled lighting and modern insulation, that avoids heating or cooling, reduces energy consumption.
Workspace
- Our office is managed by Workspace. Workspace began procuring renewable energy in 2017 and since then all electricity supplies within the group contract have been put on a 100% renewable tariff supported by a REGO (Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin) certificate.
Our Team
- We believe that it is vital to instil a sustainable culture within our team and to continue to raise awareness and engagement.
- Most of our team works from home at least 50% of the time reducing carbon emissions from travel. We encourage bicycling to work (we are part of the Cycle to Work Scheme) or public transport. Our team considers their use of energy including heating and cooling and to identify opportunities to reduce consumption e.g. recycle and turn lights/ equipment off.
The Peter De Haan Charitable Trust
- Bancroft is connected to a broader engagement with sustainability. Bancroft Wines’ owner. Peter De Haan is a sustainability advocate, awarded The Rothschild Medal for his outstanding contribution to nature conservation in the UK. Peter funds environmental projects through The Peter De Haan Charitable Trust. The Trust has already awarded £6m in grants for environmental projects.
