The Wine Society has released its 2024/25 Sustainability Report, detailing a broad set of environmental and social achievements as it enters year three of ambitious plans to halve carbon emissions by 2032.
From reducing bottle weight and scaling up renewable energy use across its global supply base, the report details how the member-owned retailer has made sustainable strides in the UK drinks sector.
Among the standout accomplishments is a reported 13% drop in total emissions since 2021/22, with its carbon intensity falling from 2.67 to 2.42 kgCO₂e per litre of wine sold. Although some of the decline is due to lower volumes sold post-Covid, the Society points to concrete actions such as glass lightweighting, expansion of lower-carbon packaging formats and solar power investments as key drivers behind the progress.
CEO Steve Finlan noted how the business is “in year three of delivering our sustainability plan” and made reference to how the Society’s rigorous approach has positioned it as a leader in the industry. Targets now include “working with others to go faster and make a bigger collective impact”.
He went on to highlight sustainability in the context of the external world. “There is a big conversation about net zero, about diversity and inclusion and a sense of negativity about the whole agenda. Our plan remains unchanged; we see it simply as good business sense,” he said.
Glass bottles remain one of the retailer’s biggest emissions sources, accounting for over 30% of its footprint. In response, it has reduced the average still wine bottle weight by 29g, cutting 250 tonnes of glass and 210 tonnes of CO₂ in the process. Nearly 53% of its still wine bottles are now lightweight, up from 45% last year.
Efforts to move away from glass altogether are also gathering pace. Bag-in-box (BiB) wine sales rose 86% by volume in 2024, and rPET bottles made from Prevented Ocean Plastic have joined the range. Though the latter remains niche, the Society aims to grow alternative packaging to 7% of total sales volume in 2025.
Sustainable logistics remains a challenge. Trials of electric vans proved unviable for long-distance, heavy-load deliveries, and hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) was rejected over sustainability concerns linked to palm oil. Instead, the business is continuing with diesel for now, while monitoring battery improvements and aiming for a 2028 transition.
Finlan remains optimistic about the road ahead, concluding that “Ours is a serious plan, on track to achieve our goals, and bring together members and wine producers around a common agenda that we believe is good for business, good for the future of wine and good for the planet.”
