Andy Vance on the environment

CORONA CHAMPIONS ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION

BECAUSE A PLASTIC RIDDEN BEACH IS NOT WHERE YOU WOULD RATHER BE…

Corona, in partnership with Parley for the Oceans and National Geographic, has released a new documentary showing never-before-seen footage of Australia’s marine plastic pollution. The footage shows an in-depth view of the global plastic pollution epidemic hitting Australia’s Far North Queensland and Great Barrier Reef. Drinks Trade got the low down from Corona’s Marketing Manager, Andy Vance, on just how bad the situation is and how Corona is doing its bit to save our beaches from plastic waste.

Drinks Trade: Explain the creative process that brought Corona and Parley for the Oceans, together with National Geographic, as partners in this global environmental protection project.

Andy Vance: This project has been on the radar for nearly two years – we just needed all the ingredients to fall into place to be able to make it happen.

We know that for many Australian’s the scale of the marine plastic pollution epidemic is hard to comprehend because most of our beaches are so well maintained and pristine, so they often lack that visible evidence.

However, speaking to the Parley team, we were aware of quite a significant issue up in the far north, such a remote area, but yet one that many Australians feel connected to given the global profile and fragility of the Great Barrier Reef. So we’ve long had an aspiration to take a small team up there to explore this, and share the shocking reality with the rest of Australia, to both raise awareness but ultimately encourage people to take action on this issue locally.

DT: Why is this association with Parley a good fit for the Corona brand philosophy?

AV: Corona is an environmentally conscious brand that cares deeply about the health of our oceans and we have a strong history of engaging and educating communities on the value of cleaning beaches.

More than four years ago, we started an initiative called ‘Save the Beach’ in several countries around the world. In Mexico specifically, this program gathered more than 150,000 volunteers. The partnership with Parley for the Oceans represents an evolution of ‘Save the Beach’ and takes it to the next level by creating a more meaningful, comprehensive way of tackling the problem.

Corona’s homeland has always been the beach, we perceive it as our spiritual home. By working with Parley we’re able to boost awareness of the global issue of marine plastic pollution and its impact on Australia’s pristine beaches and waterways. Not only that, we can actively play a part in tackling the problem and spearhead change by supporting the implementation of Parley’s signature AIR Strategy – Avoid, Intercept, Redesign. drinks trade|27

DT: What do you hope to achieve through this collaboration for the brand long term?

AV: The scale of the marine plastic pollution issue is enormous, and can feel overwhelming, but Parley have a clear roadmap for how we can find a solution, and we are happy to be one of a number of collaborators to help them get there!

From some research we conducted last year around Ocean’s Week, we know that around 75 per cent of Australian’s are not aware of the scale of this issue in Australia, but once made aware nine out of ten say they would change their day to day consumption of single use plastics. So driving awareness of the issue is super important, and we are well placed to help with this.

Large, global brands like Corona have a great opportunity to create awareness with our scale – replacing our standard carton design with a special “Protecting Paradise” message on over two million packs in over 5000 stores over summer is a great example of this.

We also know that many consumers feel quite helpless as individuals to make an impact on this issue, but feel positive that when we come together as a community we can affect change – so our focus this summer has been on providing various ways that Australians can actively get involved in the solution, such as replacing their single use plastic bottles with our Corona x Parley reusable bottle (we have made 500,000 of these available with purchase of a carton of Corona) or by joining a local beach clean-up through our Volunteers for the Ocean program.

DT: What do you hope will be achieved environmentally? Tell us more about the pledge to protect 100 islands in six regions around the world by 2020.

AV: In May 2017, we partnered with Parley for the Oceans and at the heart of this collaboration is a commitment to protect 100 islands by 2020. Since then three million pounds of plastic waste (1,360,777kg) has been collected in across over 15 countries.

The protection of 100 islands is made possible through the implementation of the Parley AIR Strategy: Avoid, Intercept, Redesign. 28|drinks trade

The partnership has already had an impact in several regions around the world. Over 25 islands are now under protection in the Maldives with new islands in Australia, Chile, Dominican Republic and Indonesia to be announced.

DT: Talk to us about the Volunteers for the Ocean – the national beach clean up for Australia and the educational series.

AV: Volunteers for the Ocean is a national beach clean-up and educational series, dedicated to increasing awareness of marine plastic pollution but predominantly provide a way that Australians can get actively involved in making positive impact.

In partnership with Parley, we’ll be facilitating local clean-up events from February through June – with an aim of involving over 1,000 volunteers and collecting more than a tonne of plastic waste polluting Australian shores.

For a lot of Australians, the issue is out of sight, out of mind. We’re hoping through our partnership with Parley and Volunteers for the Ocean, we can make Aussies aware of the very real threat that is risking the health of our own shorelines and marine life, and provide them with a platform to be a catalyst of change.

DT: What did Corona and Parley for Oceans research and conversation team discover in Cape York?

AV: The team conducted the first fact-finding mission, visiting the Great Barrier Reef’s most remote islands, to see the impact from the 1,580kg of plastic waste entering Australian oceans every hour.

On first impressions the islands appeared to be like a picture postcard with beautiful white beaches and crystal blue water, but once they scratched the surface they found plastic debris had taken over with lots of macro and micro plastic plaguing the islands – from rope to toothbrushes, bottles, coat hangers and everything in between.

The team determined there’s approximately one tonne of plastic debris for every kilometre of coastline, which is shocking. This is just an example of what is to come across Australia nationally if we don’t take action.

DT: Describe the trade activations through retail that are a result of the project.

AV: As part of the 100 Islands Protected efforts, the scale of plastic bottle pollution has been evident. To reduce further impact, Corona has given away 500,000 750mL reusable water bottles this summer so that Australians can give plastic bottles the flick and stop using them all together.

To learn more about Corona and Parley’s 100 Island Protected initiative, visit 100islandsprotected.com.

Protecting Paradise can be viewed on National Geographic’s website: www.nationalgeographic. com.au/tv/protecting-paradise/

South Australia

THE POWER AND THE PASSION

South Australia produces some of Australia’s most iconic brands and the traditional wine establishment is respected and revered but there is a new breed of winemaker on the SA scene disrupting the status quo with alternative varieties, winemaking techniques and challenging old school marketing methods. Tony Love reports.

South Australia is all about wine royalty. The establishment. The old guard.

True - but not the whole truth.

Sure, it’s the big player when it comes to total wine grape crush, contributing more than half the entire volume of the nation’s future wine juice.

And no argument when it comes to the history books: Penfolds, Hardys, Henschke, Yalumba, Bleasdale and Wynns, just to name a few.

While such powerful traditions say much about lineage, experience, and trust when it comes to regional and winemaking provenance, South Australia also has looked forward as much as back when it comes to its industry power and passion.

It energised the “sunshine in a bottle” era of big, ripe wines the northern hemisphere soaked up with excitement, providing a happy hunting ground for a new wave of producers in the 1980s and ‘90s. Names like St Hallett, Rockford, and Charles Melton from the Barossa and Wirra Wirra and d’Arenberg from McLaren Vale were prime movers and retain their seniority for good reasons.

SA also cracked on keenly in the past decade with plantings and experimentation of the so called alternative and emerging varieties, its Mediterranean climate perfect for southern Euro fruit like sangiovese, tempranillo,