Sandymount Distillery on the Otago Peninsula has achieved carbon neutral status, making it the first distillery in New Zealand to reach the milestone.

It has been certified by Ekos – a New Zealand organisation that offers carbon measurement and offsetting services through funding sustainable forest growth and protection.  

Sandymount has been in commercial operation since May 2021, and owner and distiller Richard Wilson says he is delighted to have achieved the certification before the business’s second birthday.

The Ekos certification, which needs to be renewed annually, assesses every aspect of the business, considering the carbon outputs against the carbon mitigation measures. Wilson’s prior experience in facility management meant that he could factor in carbon mitigations as he was developing the distillery site.

Some of those include a 7.8kw solar system fed by 20 roof-mounted panels, which powers 90% of the stills’ output; native reforestation of distillery land; use of botanicals and fruit grown on-site; use of on-site water for the spirits; and use of rainwater as a coolant in the distillation process, meaning no chemical coolants or refrigerants   

“It’s great to be pushing the boundaries in this space,” says Wilson, who is also the chair of Distilled Spirits Aotearoa. “New Zealand’s distilled spirits sector is very collaborative and future-focused so I’m definitely not the only one working with our environmental footprint front of mind – but I’m still pretty happy to be the first to get this tick.”

He says that the largest contributor to Sandymount Distillery’s carbon footprint is travel and freight. “To offset our biggest carbon uses, we’re investing in planting native forests, both on site at Sandymount, with a planting plan of 2000 native trees over 36 months, and through the Ekos carbon zero certification plan at Kanuka hill in Uruwhenua, Mōhua (Golden Bay).

Wilson says the distillery’s next goal is working out how to reduce its footprint entirely to become carbon zero.