To Herita Marzotto Wine Estate, increasingly more sustainable, the “Sustainability Award” 2025

Following the announcement of achieving Carbon Neutrality for the 2024 fiscal year, becoming the first Italian wine company to reach this ambitious milestone, Herita Marzotto Wine Estates, one of the leading players in the Italian and international wine industry, has also claimed the top spot at the 2025 “Sustainability Award”, edition No. 5, held, in the last days, in Milan. The group - which brings together some of the most important estates in Italian wine (from Santa Margherita in Veneto to Kettmeir in South Tyrol, from Ca’ del Bosco in Franciacorta to Lamole di Lamole and Vistarenni in Chianti Classico, from Cà Maiol in Lugana to Torresella in Eastern Veneto, from Sassoregale in Maremma to Cantine Mesa in Sardinia, and Roco Winery in Oregon, ed), recorded a turnover of over 248 million euros and sold more than 25 million bottles in 2024 across more than 90 countries worldwide - it was recognized as “Esgfi Leader”, the overall winner of the event that rewards excellence in integrating sustainability, finance, and innovation into the business model, “standing out for its commitment to environmental sustainability through responsible farming practices, use of renewable energy, and certified offsetting projects”, as one can read in the motivations. Created by Kon Group and promoted in collaboration with Elite, Azimut, and Open-es, the “Sustainability Award” has become a benchmark in Italy for evaluating companies Esg (Environmental, Social, Governance) performance, using an objective and transparent methodology based solely on mathematical algorithms. And, with an underlying goal: raise corporate awareness that sustainability can no longer be treated as a separate issue, but has multiple implications across all aspects of business management, and an integrated vision is now both possible and necessary.
“For us in agriculture, who are on the front lines of climate change, it is essential to work on reducing emissions, prioritizing clean energy sourcing, ideally self-produced through solar, biomass, or geothermal, and paying close attention to water conservation to reduce the water footprint within our production process - said ceo Herita Marzotto Wine Estates Andrea Conzonato - we truly want to commit in a transparent and demonstrable way, to be a beacon for the entire sector and for the made in Italy we aim to promote”.
A total of 344 companies had their performance analyzed, including some of Italy most prominent names - considering only the wine & food world - Eataly, an Italian excellence combining dining, retail, and food culture, won the “Top 100 Esg Excellence” in the “Governance” category, while Ferrarelle, a leader in mineral water and soft drinks, topped the “Top 75 Esg Performances” again in the “Governance” category. This latter ranking selected the 75 companies that, by participating in multiple editions, achieved the most significant increases in Esg ratings, where one can find wine again:Umani Ronchi, a leading winery in the Marche region, headed by Michele Bernetti, with 230 hectares of vineyards for over 3 million bottles - and Valdo Spumanti - one of the most important producers of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, with 155 hectares of vineyards and a large network of suppliers, producing a total of 9 million bottles annually, are part of the list. In a group which also sees Cirfood, one of Italy largest business in catering and corporate welfare to companies, and Sogegross, a wholesale and retail distribution group operating under the cash and carry model.