A Sustainability Strategy for the Largest Winery in the Pacific Northwest
Becoming a leader in wine industry sustainability
The Challenge
As the largest winery in the Pacific Northwest and among the largest premium wineries in the US, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates (SMWE) has a leading position in the wine industry and aspires to be a leader in wine industry sustainability. SMWE engaged Edge Impact to help assess SMWE’s status and readiness to set and implement a comprehensive sustainability strategy, and to recommend actions to set SMWE up for success.
Key Deliverables
Carbon Footprinting
Water, Waste and Packaging Assessments
Stakeholder Engagement
Consumer Insights Research
Sustainability Strategy Development
Carbon Footprinting
Water, Waste and Packaging Assessments
Stakeholder Engagement
Consumer Insights Research
Sustainability Strategy Development
The Approach
Our approach combined utilized science and storytelling to support the development of a comprehensive sustainability strategy that will carry SMWE through this critical decade of sustainability action to 2030. A scientific approach was used to assess SMWE’s baseline performance in key environmental focus areas, including energy & emissions, waste, water, and packaging.
Alongside this work, an in-depth stakeholder engagement process was followed to gain insights and buy-in from leaders and employees within SMWE, as well as to gauge the interests and knowledge of SMWE’s customers when it comes to sustainable practices in wine and wine production. SMWE’s employee-led Sustainability Working Group were key collaborators throughout the process, instrumental in developing repeatable processes within the organization.
The Result
The qualitative and quantitative insight gained through our baselining process informed a multi-year sustainability strategy to guide SMWE’s future actions, aiming to further advance their position as a sustainability leader in the wine industry.
“Our partnership with Edge Impact has given us excellent tools to further craft our sustainability strategy and helped set us on the path toward reaching our goals. We look forward to our continued work with this team as we strive toward a more sustainable Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.”
Madeline Mathews
Sustainability Manager - Ste. Michelle Wine Estates
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