Viña Cousiño Macul celebrates a new Sustainability Certification for Chilean Wines

This year, the traditional winery also received the certification of its “Purple Area”, becoming one of the six Chilean wineries pioneering Sustainable Wine Tourism.

At Viña Cousiño Macul, sustainability plays a leading role. This is why since 2015, the winery has participated in the Sustainability Certification of Wines from Chile . In addition, this year the company received the certification of its Purple Area -a new area recently incorporated into this certification that seeks to measure sustainable practices in wine tourism- becoming one of the 6 Chilean wineries pioneering Sustainable Wine Tourism.

Through an audit that is carried out every two years, Vinos de Chile delivers a certification that measures how companies in the wine industry behave with the environment, customers, suppliers and collaborators. This measurement considers requirements for four complementary areas: Green Area (vineyard management), Orange Area (HR, clients, suppliers, communities, among others), Red Area (production cellar) and the new Purple Area (place where wine tourism activities take place).

For Nicolás Garib, General Manager of Viña Cousiño Macul , “this certification confirms the ongoing commitment that we as a company have to a sustainable and responsible operation. We are happy and proud to renew this commitment again, obtaining a excellent rating in all areas. We have seen great progress in the years that we have been participating in audits. Today, in addition to the projects we have implemented in this line, We see how sustainability is 'breathed' in each of the teams and processes of our vineyard , recognizing its importance and potential for the future development of our business."

Among the most outstanding sustainable projects that Viña Cousiño Macul has developed in recent years is the inauguration of its photovoltaic project . Through a system of solar panels, the company generates approximately 370 MWh of electrical energy per year. Of the energy produced, The vineyard consumes about half and the rest is injected into the system to be used by other users on the network. If we consider that 1 MWh (1,000 KWh) of renewable energy mitigates 550 kg of CO2 emissions into the environment annually, Viña Cousiño Macul would mitigate 203 tons of CO2, equivalent to planting about 5,200 trees annually.

Composting 100% of organic waste from the grape harvest, recycling of various materials, programs to reduce the use of agrochemicals, planting covered crops and conservation areas are just some of the projects that Viña Cousiño Macul is developing and implementing in its vineyards, and which it hopes to perfect and enhance in the face of an increasingly challenging future in terms of sustainability and environmental care.