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BioGro, and I continued to develop my methods,” Mick says. In 2013, Tory Channel Kelp Products changed its organic certification to AsureQuality, where the certification remains today. The foliar spray, Natural Kelp Tea, is made using a cold ferment process and contains Macrocystis pyrifera, or giant kelp, and very little else. “It’s a liquid plant food and soil conditioner, and because it’s made using a cold process, we lose very little of the nutrients, vitamins and amino acids that are found in seaweed, so it’s highly nutritious for plants and soils,” Mick says. Now, his deliveries reach vineyards, dairy farms, gardens and orchards across Marlborough and the top of the South, and have even gone as far afield as Central Otago. Cloudy Bay vineyard operations manager John Flanagan says he and his team are firm believers in the use of seaweed applications to promote plant health and to build resilience against weather extremes in the vineyard.
Marlborough Environment Award Winner Achieving carbonzero has been good for Lawson’s Dry Hills sustainability footprint, its efficiency, and its relationship with consumers, says marketing manager Belinda Jackson. And the team is enjoying the opportunity to share their story with other wine companies keen to reduce emissions and increase their sustainability. “Its bonus is being able to pass it on,” she says, in the wake of Lawson’s Dry Hills winning the Wine Industry category at the 2021 Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards. “To get all of us as dedicated to reducing our environmental footprint as possible.” In 2011 Lawson’s became one of the first wineries to achieve ISO 14001 accreditation, which encompasses sustainability measures across the whole business. Power and water use has been substantially reduced, bottles and packaging have a high recycled content, and they are constantly finding ways to reduce plastic use. “We have seen real benefits across our business,” says general manager Sion Barnsley. “It has made us think smarter.” This year the company became a Tōitu certified carbonzero organisation by achieving ISO 14064, making it the only wine company in the country to achieve both
“We’ve been using Tory Channel Natural Kelp for the past seven years and are pleased with how our vines have performed over this time. It’s become an integral part of our vine nutrition programme,” he says. “We’re also very conscious about our environmental impact, and we’re delighted that we can source a local Marlborough product, and we know exactly what has gone into its production.” In recent years, Mick added a tanker to operations at Tory Channel Kelp Products, something which enabled him to begin delivering Natural Kelp Tea on demand in any quantity up to 2,000 litres at a time. This move not only added convenience for clients, but also reduced the need for plastic waste, says John. “Mick is great to deal with, and his bulk deliveries directly to our vineyards eliminates the need for lots of plastic containers.” Kat Duggan is Mick Norton’s granddaughter
accreditations. “It is really neat to be able to show other producers that this is totally doable and very rewarding,” says Belinda. There is “a real sense of pride” in marketing their wines to the world, knowing that the certifications – and now this award – endorse the standards they have achieved, she adds. “And we know that more and more consumers are looking for products that actually do the right thing by the environment… It’s a pleasure to be able to make great wines with no compromise that tick all the environmental boxes.” Wine Marlborough sponsors the Wine Category of the Environment Awards, and general manager Marcus Pickens says it is inspiring to see an established business like Lawson’s, “with deep roots in Marlborough”, continue to innovate and search for a range of solutions. The positive moves being made by wine companies in the sustainability space are vitally important, he says. “The Marlborough and New Zealand wine industry are not only looking to be leaders regionally, but nationally and internationally also.” Read more about the Lawson’s Dry Hills sustainability journey in the June edition of Winepress
Winepress May 2021 / 23
