Bottega Confirms its Green Vocation on World Earth Day

22 April is an extremely significant date because it coincides with World Earth Day, to raise public awareness about the future of the planet and the new generations.

On the occasion of Earth Day, Bottega, a winery and distillery in Bibano di Godega (TV), confirms its green vocation, which has guided its business choices since the beginning of its activity. The issue of sustainability has always been a topic close to the heart of the Bottega family, even when it was not on the media’s agenda.

Specifically, the Treviso-based company, in compliance with the UN’s 17 principles of sustainable development, has achieved many concrete results through investment, commitment and various initiatives:

Certified energy from renewable sources. The desire to save energy and use renewable sources lies behind the decision to buy electricity exclusively from certified renewable sources. Since 2015, Bottega has obtained consent to use the GREENER logo, a brand belonging to SUM, a company owned by Unindustria Treviso, Confindustria Venezia and Consorzio Unindustria Multiutilities.

Geothermal climate control. The choice of geothermal energy, combined with the use of alternative sources for the production of electricity, allows an annual saving of 756 tons of CO2. Inside the property, the geothermal air conditioning system, which uses the earth’s heat for energy, draws from an aquifer, where the water is at a constant temperature of 14°C.

Water recirculation. Since 2014, an innovative system has been used in the distillery to recirculate the water used in the distillation process, which is air-cooled by special fans and conveyed via a closed-loop system. This solution drastically reduces the water consumption of the entire process. Estimated savings stand at 5 million litres per distillation campaign.

Purification of water and industrial waste. Since the area where Bottega S.p.A. is based is predominantly agricultural, the company has invested in two purification systems for waste-water and industrial-waste treatment, in order to protect the surrounding environment. The first is a plant-based sewage-treatment facility which allows for the disposal of waste water coming from bathrooms and kitchens. The second one is an aerobic, biological activated sludge plant, which carries out the purification and discharge of industrial water (mostly dregs, organic waste from distillation processes, production of liquors and sparkling wines and washing water from the plants). It has an average capacity of 36 m3/g, up to a maximum peak of 72 m3/g, and can handle a daily organic load of 290 kg of COD.

Organically cultivated vineyards. The vineyards in Bibano, as well as those in Col San Martino, Follina and Vittorio Veneto, are cultivated according to organic farming criteria. The use of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, GMOs and their derivatives has therefore been banned. Only organic fertilisers are used on Bottega land, which, as well as providing nutrients, improve the fertility and structure of the soil, avoiding the dispersion of 500 kg of synthetic chemicals every year.

RafCycle programme. In 2018, the company joined the RafCycle programme for the recycling of label waste. Thanks to a technologically advanced process, siliconised paper, used as a backing for labels, is recovered to be transformed into new cellulose that will become paper. This programme enables around 50 tonnes of waste to be recycled each year.

Polyethylene recycling. With a view to constantly pursuing the environmental sustainability project, since 2021 Bottega has started recycling the polyethylene used by glassworks to package empty bottles. This material is then transformed into stretch film to seal the pallets of finished products. The recovery consists of approximately 16 tonnes per year (over 70 kg per day), which are used for more than 35,000 pallets of finished products throughout the company.

Water-based paint. No chemicals are used for the metallised bottles, which means that the solvent for the paint is water-based, instead of being oil- or alcohol-based like more traditional paints.

Packaging: 50% recycled glass. The concept of recycling influences the packaging, for which environmentally friendly materials are used. The dark bottles are made from at least 50% recycled glass. In addition, Bottega uses only FSC Mix certified cartons. This level indicates that the wood or paper of the certified product comes from FSC certified material, recycled material and/or controlled wood. The design of the products also makes them reusable objects. The blown Alexander bottles are unique furnishing objects and the Vapore grappa bottles can be used at home as jugs for water or other drinks.