Our today is standing on the historic event that the World will visit over and over again. The welcoming of the New Year 2020, associated with it the arrival of the epidemic pneumonia which the World Health Organization (WHO) named as COVID-19, becoming the globe’s biggest and the worst health crisis that history hasn’t encountered since the Second World war, resulting in some unanticipated socio-environmental change in the entire vista of normalcy we live into. The atmospheric rejuvenation, reduction in the pollution rate, Ozone layers revitalization, and the self-revivalism of the River Ganges are some of the prominent instances of Earth’s rehabilitation. But the fact is environmental degradation is something that started centuries ago and the damage that has been made will take another couple of centuries to sustain Earth to any near shape than to its original one. Again we also cannot deny the fact that public and private institutions of any kind are taking every initiative within their capability to sustain the Earth in any way. Among all is the Polish vodka brand Belvedere’s new launch of ‘Made With Nature’ initiative is a significant one, especially with the inauguration of the Biomass Capture Facility, vividly illustrating their ambition to increase the socio-cultural and atmospheric status and produce a healthy world all around, simultaneously also propagating their brand of nature i.e. setting out a demonstration of the fabric of the new era of commercial and social industry.
Belvedere, is the successor of 600 years of Polish vodka-making history, artfully crafting the Polish rye into dynamic vodkas of distinct but extraordinary taste and character. The contemporary vodkas are made of purified water and are masterfully distilled through a process of fire. Belvedere is the world’s first super-premium vodka distillery that makes its liquor with zero additives, obeying the historic legal regulation of Polish Vodka that dictates nothing can be added, is certified kosher, and gluten-free. It is even the first spirits distillery to receive a grant from the European Commission to pilot an ambitious biomass capture facility on-site, by which they have announced an acceleration schedule to reduce its energy CO2 emission in nature by 95% by 2022. The new faculty as proclaimed by them will start producing 100% renewable energy and subsequently reduce the energy effusion at every possible level. Belvedere concurrently is also codifying a commitment to nourish the lands as their production is directly proportional to the land, escorting the raw material directly from the local farms, exemplifying their transformation into a nature-centric distillery.
Standing in the era of crisis, this addition is indeed a bold step for any distillery to address the environmental topics, and the Belvedere rejuvenation project does imply a new responsibility to practice business i.e. to innovate methods to intact and rehabilitate nature. These ambition as stated by the Alice Farquhar, Global Brand Education and Training Manager, Belvedere Vodka that was a result of decades of academic research, methods and implication are well focused on the solutions that prove better business makes a world better place for service i.e. nourishing the ecosystems, mitigating climate impact, and engaging with society. Therefore, anchoring the brand of nature identity to be recognized as the greatest distilleries in the world, with their commitment to land conservation and sustainability by preserving the energy via projects of biomass plants of the distillery.
“There is a Chinese proverb that says, ‘a journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.’ We know we have a long way to realizing our ambitions to nourish the lands we share and protect ecosystems and biodiversity we depend upon This new biomass facility marks a major step (truly leap) forward towards Belvedere making good on our belief that better business practices create a better world”, Williams farther added, “we are building on these achievements by setting the bar even higher for ourselves with eight sustainability commitments achievable by 2025.“
President and CEO of Belvedere Vodka, Rodney Williams, commented on the inaugural opening of the biomass facility
The eight commitments are:
- Convert to Organic Farming: In 2020, Belvedere started to source organic ingredients for all future innovations with all new products which ultimately reflected in their new standard from 2021. By 2023 the brand has proclaimed to start their ultimate transition to 100% organic.
- Restore Landscapes: Belvedere is currently focusing on a regenerative soil program which is expected to be launched all over Poland which aims to protect the natural character of agricultural territories.
- Reduce Water Waste: Belvedere is currently motivated to reduce wasted water disposal by 40%, which will contribute to an overall 27% reduction of water sourced from the brand’s wells by 2024.
- Renewable Energy Solutions: Belvedere in addition to the biomass capture facility steps is also focusing on the installation of a supplementary solar energy solution at its distillery by 2023.
- Sustainable Packaging Solutions: Belvedere is said to have eliminated 95% usage of single plastic by implementing an eco-design for all new products and POSM. By 2025, Belvedere is committed to further reduce the use of plastic by 50%, increase the use of recycled plastic by 50%, and increase the use of recycled glass.
- Recover Heat Waste Byproduct: Belvedere aims to convert the distillation by-product into fuel by 2022. They simultaneously also intended to work on a scheme that can recover the heat waste by reusing exhaust fumes, which results in the reduction of the energy input for the boiler house by 20% by 2021.
- Work With Local Communities to Promote & Supply Green Energy: Belvedere is desperately working on the plan to convert the city’s power network into green energy produced in-house from 2025 on. They at the same time are also intending to transform their agricultural partners from 100% usage of coal dependency to 0% by the new renewable energy plan that is expected to be implemented by 2025 directly on site.
- Leverage NGOs and Universities Collaborations for Greater Water Protection & Efficiencies:
- Continue Funding The Foundation For Natural Environmental Protection: Protection of the natural environment of the local Pisia-Gągolina River by designing a safeguard and restoration plan to be implemented from 2022 on.
- Long Term Cooperation with the Technical University of Lodz and Other Local Universities: By 2023, Belvedere has designed new technical solutions to further reduce our water consumption.
Belvedere has manoeuvred its plan for green and renewable energy for years. From 2017 to 2021 as stated by Farquhar, it has cut energy CO2 emissions by 42% by only shifting fuel sources. Belvedere distillery which is typically over a century old now which does has a long history of supporting the Polish community with sustainability initiatives. Therefore their dedication to nature’s rejuvenation is not only to protect Poland but to preserve its authenticity by all means. This as assured by Williams has a long run to succeed.