Hill-Smith Family Estates has become the first Australian winery to be awarded Gold Member status by the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), cementing the brand's position as a sustainability leader in the global wine community. They join an exclusive group of only nine wineries from around the world that also hold IWCA Gold Membership.
To achieve Gold status, Hill-Smith Family Estates had to meet rigorous criteria. That includes generating at least 20% of operational energy from on-site renewables, showing a consistent reduction in emissions across scopes 1, 2 and 3, and committing to net zero by 2050.
Louisa Rose, Head of Sustainability at Hill-Smith Family Estates, sees the recognition as both a validation and a motivator. “Achieving Gold Member status is a testament to our team’s and the Hill-Smith family’s dedication,” she said. “Our decarbonisation journey is ongoing, integrally linked with our other sustainability projects.
"We have implemented significant water and energy efficiency measures and invested in a program of lightweight glass solutions and renewable energy sources, and we continue to embrace new ideas and technologies as they emerge, and we work towards our 2030 and 2050 net zero goals.”
One of the most compelling examples of that integration is the long-running revegetation project at Oxford Landing, a 400-hectare site on the Murray River. Since 2007, more than 215,000 native plants have been introduced – efforts originally driven by ecological values, but now formally contributing to carbon insetting as part of the business’s greenhouse gas inventory.
The move to include insetting reflects a growing recognition that climate solutions in wine must go beyond emissions reduction to include carbon capture and biodiversity. As Louisa explains, “while we had not measured the carbon sequestration from these conservation areas until now, we have been watching the health of the site and vineyard increase and the biodiversity flourish.”
Founded in 2019 by Familia Torres (Spain) and Jackson Family Wines (USA), IWCA is a global working group with a single-minded focus: to drive climate action across the wine industry. Its members are united by a shared ambition to decarbonise and to be held accountable in doing so.
Katie Jackson, IWCA president, described Hill-Smith Family Estates’ Gold status as “an inspiring example for wineries worldwide.” It also adds a valuable voice from the Southern Hemisphere to the IWCA cohort.
For Hill-Smith Family Estates, sustainability is as much about legacy as leadership. As a sixth-generation family business, the long view is built into its DNA.
For more about sustainability within the drinks industry, read about the Drinks Association Sustainability Council.