It’s complicated: sustainability and spirit making

“I can list 10 different gins off the top of my head [from brands] who are sustainable,” says Henry Hamersla, Brand Director of Applewood Distillery, a distillery that is not only a Certified B Corp but also regularly donates revenue (not just profit) to groups like the Reef Restoration Foundation. “[These brands] are incredibly well-minded when it comes to working with agriculturalists, are incredible waste aggregators, taste amazing and are not too expensive,” adds Henry.

While it’s great to hear that trade-offs for the sake of conscious shopping are a thing of the past, Henry raises facets of sustainability not many of us think about. Waste aggregation? Sustainable agriculture? It begs the question: how sustainable is spirit making, beginning to end and not just the bit in the middle—the distillation—that we tend to think the most about

Here are some hard facts to make absolutely sure your head is in the game. A single bottle of spirits has a carbon footprint equal to an 11km trip in a petrol car. When it comes to water, it takes about 37 litres to produce just one litre of spirit. And if you thought scoring a D on your report card haunted you well into adulthood, wait til you hear what the ​​alcoholic beverage industry scored in the Drinks Industry Sustainability Index: a dismal 4.8 out of 10.

In defence of the spirits industry, steps are being made to address agriculture, production, packaging and waste management—some are even leaping ahead to a more eco future.

At Applewood, it starts with agriculture. Not only does this promise high-quality raw ingredients, but directly impacts the land. “It comes down to incentivising farmers in arid communities to vertically integrate their existing farmland with more sustainable plants for the region,” explains Henry. “What we've been doing recently is working with Auntie Sue, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for anti-nuclear proliferation. We have a wonderful relationship with her. We've been able to go on Country (Kokatha Country) with her and volunteer our time as part of our learning. We’re there shut up and work hard.”

Applewood puts its money where its values are, working with many indigenous-owned suppliers. The brand believes that sustainability starts with an understanding of Country and then considers broader best practices as the next step. After all, First Nations people have the longest-running culture on the planet, living in harmony with the land and seas for more than 60,000 years.

At the other end of the process, more and more brands are innovating their packaging, hoping to find a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative to the classic glass bottle. A great example is Calvados brand Avaleen, which has been certified as carbon negative. This incredible benchmark has been set thanks, in part, to their approach to packaging, which includes recycled glass, natural wood stoppers with no dyes and an apple pulp label.

In Australia, the vodka brand Mother of Pearl is pushing spirits packaging to exciting new limits by introducing a paper bottle—the first in the country. Yes, you read that right. Made from 94% recycled cardboard, these bottles boast a carbon footprint six times lower than their glass forbearers, thanks to the fact that they use less energy to produce and transport. Plus, you can recycle them easily at home when you’re done.

“We believe that paper bottles have a big, bright future in Australia,” says Mother of Pearl co-owner Nicola Thompson-Hancock. To make the point, Nicola and co-owner Nic have gained the rights to produce the same paper bottles, called Frugal Bottle, here in Australia for any brand that wants a greener packaging solution.

Unfortunately, spotting a sustainable spirit on the shelf isn’t always as obvious as looking for a paper bottle. The fact is, if you want to make more environmentally conscious choices as a consumer, you’re going to have to do the leg work. And that starts with having a healthy level of scepticism when reading labels or websites, at least enough to see past the marketing speak, “look for people who talk about land management or where they get their botanicals from, or what ecosystem they're trying to emulate,” says Henry. “I'm not gonna slap the drink out of anyone's hand and tell them they're drinking immorally, I just want to encourage people to ask questions.”