ANDREW L. TAN-LED global spirits producer Emperador Inc. said it is expanding sustainability initiatives across its operations in the Philippines, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Grupo Emperador Spain is implementing environment-friendly processes and technologies in its vineyard operations, including intelligent irrigation systems and humidity and salinity sensors designed to optimize grape growth while reducing water consumption, Emperador said in an e-mail statement on Monday.
The company said it is also using drones to monitor vineyard usage and employing falconry as natural pest control to reduce chemical applications.
Emperador also said it has replaced combustion forklifts with electric forklifts, increased the recovery of essential biogases during wastewater treatment, and installed solar panels to support its transition to renewable energy.
In the United Kingdom, Emperador’s subsidiary Whyte & Mackay replaced the traditional boiler at the Jura Distillery with a biomass boiler, reducing carbon emissions by about 5,000 tons annually, it noted, adding that it also shifted to a 100% carbon-neutral energy supply powered by renewable wood pellet energy at the Invergordon distillery in Scotland.
The company is utilizing a bioenergy center to process distillery co-products and produce biomethane gas, which it said will offset about 20,900 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2026.
In the Philippines, Emperador plans to install a 640-kilowatt peak solar facility at one of its manufacturing plants, projected to generate over 800,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable energy annually, reducing its carbon footprint by 593.12 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
In 2023, the company installed a two-megawatt peak solar photovoltaic system at its glass plant, generating approximately 2.5 million kWh of renewable energy yearly and reducing its carbon footprint by about 1,929 metric tons of CO2e annually.
“These initiatives reinforce our strong commitment to integrating sustainability and environmental stewardship across our entire value chain,” Emperador President and Chief Executive Officer Winston S. Co said.
The initiatives align with the sustainability program of Emperador’s parent company, Alliance Global Group, Inc., under its SustainAGIlity program, which focuses on long-term value creation, responsible innovation, and sustainable business growth while addressing environmental, social, and governance goals.
Emperador shares closed up 0.72%, or ten centavos, to P14 per share on Monday. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
