Champagne announces carbon dioxide emissions, strategy February 18, 2008
Jane Anson
Champagne has become the first region in France to announce a clear breakdown of its carbon dioxide emissions, and set out strategies for reducing them.
Speaking at the official launch of the Bordeaux Carbon Initiative this week, representatives from the Champagne region revealed the results of their own carbon study, first undertaken in 2003.
Climatologist consultant Jean Marc Jancovinci, together with CIVC spokesperson Arnaud Descotes, revealed that the region produced 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year – or approximately 700g per bottle.
This doesn't make it the worst offender. According to a 2006 study published by the Guardian newspaper, an average UK city produces 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year in gas consumption alone. The UK's private cars produce 91m tonnes.
However, as industry across the world starts to take the carbon challenge seriously, many wine regions are considering their own emissions.
In Champagne 24% of the emissions came from viticulture and winemaking, 13% from transport (of wine and workers), 39% from bottling and packaging, 8% from products used in the cellars and vines, 11% from machinery and 5% from ancillary services such as office workers in marketing, insurance and others.
Descotes told decanter.com, 'We now have 10 groups working on reducing emissions in each of the categories, comprising winemakers, the big Champagne houses, suppliers, architects and industry experts.'
He added, 'Our objective is to reduce emissions by 25% by 2020, and by 75% by 2050.'
Descotes added that there may be problems with marketing, due to the reliance on luxury packaging for many Champagnes, 'but we are convinced that it is not incompatible to have a luxury image and ecological packaging. Twenty five of the biggest Champagne houses have conducted their own studies and are looking at their own solutions.'
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In analyzing the origins and quantities of carbon dioxide emissions, the Champagne authorities overlooked a crucial source: consumers. Just what do the Champenois think flies from popped bottles and escapes into the atmosphere?
If the CIVC truly wishes to reduce emissions by 25% by 2020, it can achieve that same goal on Dec. 31, 2008-Jan. 1, 2009. Since French courts seem hostile to alcohol these days, perhaps a collaborative tribunal can be found that would happily ban the use of Champagne on New Year's Eve. Surely patriotic plutocrats - for example, upper management in Société Générale - would prefer to celebrate with milk.
Toning down luxury packaging is an insufficient answer. If the grandes marques reduced the hyperbole in their advertising, they would further reduce the volume of gas issuing from Rheims.
How come a nation that produced a Louis Pasteur could not come up with these obviously simple solutions to global warming? The Tricolor, I fear, is fading.
Howard G Goldberg, New York City, USA
Champagne is traditionally bottled in very heavy glass bottles. The bottles do need to be much stronger than those used for other carbonated drinks due to the manufacturing process but the current weight of 900g is excessive. Many "lesser" sparkling wines still generate high pressures but are safely contained in bottles weighing 650g.
Glass making uses lots of fossil fuel so generates plenty of CO2. The CO2 emissions depend on the amount of recycled glass used, but for a 900g bottle would be of the order of 500 - 600g of CO2 (ref Carbon Trust Energy Consumption Guide ECG027 "Energy use in the Glass Container Industry). The footprint of the bottle thus almost equals that of the production process.
I assume the "39% from bottling and packaging" relates to filling the bottles not producing them.
If you could provide me with any contacts details (Jean Marc Jancovinci and/or Arnaud Descotes) I would be grateful and if you need more information on our project or the CO2 footprint of glass bottles I would be pleased to oblige.
Andy Hartley, British Glass (Trade Association), UK
Howard
Champagne is made by creating a base wine of 10% alcohol then a secondary bottle ferment of 2.5%+/- to achieve a final alcohol of around 13%.
The total level of CO2 created is exactly the same as any still wine, except the CO2 in released at the winery. Many of your nations wines are much higher in alcohol, I tried a 15% Syrah recently. It would be interesting to compare the emissions of Champagne with a superfluous City such as Las Vegas. I will drink milk on New Years eve if your country promises not send fuel laden rockets off to Mars!
Shayne, Auckland, New Zealand
If they take the Carbon Dioxide out of Krug I'm leaving this planet for another. I have a feeling that I am not be alone.
Toby Bensimon, Adelaide, Australia
Presumably, vines like other forms of vegetation (trees, flowers etc) produce oxygen during an average of 50% of the day. Does this not offset the carbon signature?
Philip Styles, St.Gaudent, France
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In analyzing the origins and quantities of carbon dioxide emissions, the Champagne authorities overlooked a crucial source: consumers. Just what do the Champenois think flies from popped bottles and escapes into the atmosphere?
