The Study is characterized by the keyword “Measure”.
The company is in a carbon neutrality state. More than 3 million Euro is the carbon stock value.
Argiano is a well-known winery in Montalcino since 1580. It has recently commissioned SEAcoop STP, a historic environmental consulting firm based in Turin, an assessment of the environmental impact of its production activities (wine and extra virgin olive oil making), including the measurement of biodiversity parameters and the CO2 capture and storage capacity in the Estate’s vineyards and wooden land.
The Study has defined the baseline of Argiano’s sustainability, an ideal snapshot of the current state of the dependence and interactions between the company and the environment as a whole.
The Report shows that “Argiano’s natural capital is already able to annually absorb the equivalent of the greenhouse gases emitted, directly and indirectly, by the life cycle of its products”.
These results are preparatory to the achievement of sustainability certifications, a Company goal for 2022.
The Report also shows that, according to best methodological practices and using the price of 52 €/t CO2, the economic value of the carbon captured and stored by the Company’s ecosystems is equal to 3,227,744 € in total, with an annual expected increase of 66,196 €.
Bernardino Sani, CEO: “The figures we are presenting today return an image of the company that reflects positively the results of the work carried out in recent years, which make Argiano ready for future challenges. The theme of corporate sustainability is no longer optional: our environment suffers from severe anthropogenic impacts and already today, in some countries, it is not possible to sell products that lack a sustainability certification. Argiano was first in Montalcino to conduct a detailed study on microzonation, it is certified as “organic” and has adhered to the Plastic Free initiative promoted by the Ministry of the Environment in 2019: all this work has allowed us to achieve a virtuous balance, that is the balance of biodiversity, which in fact is our slogan. The relationship between biodiversity and the ability to capture and store carbon dioxide is now proven, and positions Argiano in a carbon neutrality state. This Report also opens up to a promising scenario of Ecosystem Services valorisation: nowadays already, in economic terms, the CO2 stock of the Company’s natural capital is worth over 3 million Euros and is growing thanks to our good practices”.
Results of the study show that:
– Wine and extra virgin olive oil production activities generate the emission of about 672 tCO2-eq./year, most of which (approx. 98%) to be attributed to the wine life cycle.
– The existing stock of carbon, considering the woody plants and soils, is about 16,926 t of organic C equivalent and thus about 62,072 t of carbon dioxide equivalent (t CO2-eq.). According to
precautionary (lowest possible) annual growth rate of 2%, around 1263 t of CO2-eq. are already captured and stored each year, a value almost double that associated with emissions.
– There is a direct relationship between the level of biodiversity and the amount of C stored: the greater the biological complexity, the greater the accounted organic carbon.
The present Sustainability Report uses “Measure” as reference keyword, which normally reflects the Phase 1 of every sustainability protocol; the rationale being to accurately assess the current environmental impact and compensating capacity of Argiano in order to design a path of continuous improvement. The Report falls within an ideal fork between “a preliminary and anticipatory work and a certified framework”, thus allowing the company to know and capitalize upon the organic-regenerative approach already implemented in the vineyards and olive groves, and good practices in the cellar.
Technicalities.
Indicators of carbon stock and biodiversity have been used in this study. Permanent woody crops (olive trees and cypresses), forest land and all types of soil have been considered to account for the carbon stock, while for biodiversity the QBS-ar indicator has been evaluated on the soils. The method used to measure the environmental impacts has been the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), a well-known ISO standardized and internationally recognized approach.
Info and contacts.
Dario Pettinelli, Argiano CSR
pettinelli@argiano.net
Read the full Report: REPORT-SOSTENIBILITA-ARGIANO01MISURA