Hill-Smith Family Estates reduces emissions by 38% since 2011
The Australian producer, Hill-Smith Family Estates, owner of 22 wine brands across its estates in Australia and New Zealand including Oxford Landing and Jansz Tasmania, has announced a 38% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since 2011.
This figure, from the producer's 2024 Annual Sustainability Report, sees the antipodean wine group remain on track in terms of its two main GHG reduction targets of 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2050. Hill-Smith Family Estates also slightly exceeded its regenerative land promise, which seeks to preserve an area of native vegetation area equal to the area of vineyards owned.
The large-scale winemaker also exceeded its renewable energy target, self-generating 2,679 MWh of renewable energy from its own solar installations, meaning 21% of its operating energy is supplied from this source. The company also joined International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) in 2021 with its head of sustainability, Louisa Rose, elected to the IWCA board in 2024.
On the workforce sustainability front, the group also exceeded its target of training one consumer or employee from the hospitality industry for every Hill-Smith employee who participated in the company’s own wine education programmes. This figure stood at 2.46 to 1 in 2024. Despite the positive progress, the report is transparent regarding where improvement is needed, with the company slightly missing its employee engagement and lost time due to injury targets.
Robert Hill-Smith (pictured), chairman and fifth-generation proprietor of Hill-Smith Family Estates, is pleased with his company’s progress, but is keen for the group to continue to take strides in the right direction.
He said: “In more recent years, we have taken the time to reflect and formalise our sustainability principles and align our goals with those of our industry and our governments to address the impacts of climate change cooperatively.
“We are proud of our achievements in our six generations of winemaking, however our hope is that this report will propel us forward and inspire all who read it to join us in our commitment to a better future for all.”
This future-oriented philosophy is shared by head of sustainability at Hill-Smith Family Estates, Louisa Rose.
“At Hill-Smith Family Estates, we believe in using our platform to create meaningful change. Our goals for this year, to 2050 and beyond reflect our commitment to a future where business success is measured not just in economic terms, but in the positive impact we leave on our industry, our communities and our planet”, she commented.
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