Belvedere goes green with biomass plant

Polish vodka brand Belvedere has opened a biomass facility that will reduce CO2 emissions by 95% by 2022.

The LVMH-owned brand said the project has been in development since 2018, when it became the first distillery to receive a grant from the European Commission to trial a biomass capture facility.

Rodney Williams, president and CEO of Belvedere, said: “There is a Chinese proverb that says, ‘a journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step’. We know we have a long way to realising our ambitions to nourish the lands we share and protect ecosystems and biodiversity we depend upon.

“This new biomass facility marks a major step forward towards Belvedere making good on our belief that better business practices create a better world. We are building on these achievements by setting the bar even higher for ourselves with eight sustainability commitments achievable by 2025.”

The facility will start producing 100% renewable energy, marking a ‘significant step’ in the brand’s Made with Nature commitments revealed in 2020. The platform seeks to align Belvedere with nature as consumers become more mindful of their consumption.

Belvedere said it is taking major steps to address environment issues through business practices and green initiatives. The producer will focus on sustaining ecosystems, mitigating climate impact and engaging with society.

Sustainability plan

Belvedere has made eight commitments as part of this pledge, including a transition to becoming fully organic from 2023.

The producer will also launch a regenerative soil programme in Poland and reduce waste water disposal by 40%, with the aim of an overall 27% reduction of water sourced from the brand’s wells by 2024.

By 2025, Belvedere has pledged to cut the use of plastic by 50%, increase use of recycled plastic by 50%, and boost the use of recycled glass.

Belvedere is also working to install an extra solar energy solution at its distillery by 2023.

By 2022, Belvedere is planning to convert its distillation by-product into fuel. The brand will also recover heat waste by reusing exhaust fumes, leading to a reduction of the energy input for the boiler house by 20% by next year.

Furthermore, the brand will help its agricultural partners move away from using coal through a new renewable energy plan that will be executed by 2025.

In addition, Belvedere will continue to fund The Foundation For Natural Environmental Protection, and work with the Lodz University of Technology in Poland and other local universities to design technical solutions to further decrease water consumption by 2023.

In May this year, Belvedere released its first certified-organic flavoured vodka range, which is infused with fruits and botanicals.