Based in Luton, England, Hallgarten & Novum Wines has strived to be one of the premier wine suppliers in the world. The company specializes in hand-selected wines crafted by the best vineyards worldwide.
Many wine distributors prefer to work with certified sustainable vintners. That means wines are made with a low carbon footprint, renewable energy is used to power production, water conservation efforts produce real results, and wine quality is unaffected. Hallgarten & Novum is no exception.
The company has a robust sustainability policy and mission. It adheres to equality, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) while working with environmentally certified partners in storage and warehousing. Since 2018, the business has been recognized by activist groups and nongovernmental organizations for its environmental management system.
The Terroir Team works to meet these sustainability goals through strategic business decisions and analysis. It works to reduce energy use, use sustainable packaging, stronger waste management, drive electric fleet vehicles, and work to eliminate Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
The goal is to have Corporate Carbon Neutral accreditation for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by the end of the year.
The Eco Standard ensures that all Hallgarten wine producers follow stringent sustainability criteria.
Photo Courtesy Johny Goerend
“We believe sustainability is about making a positive impact in everything we do, from how we act as an organization to the way in which we deliver wines and services to our customers,” the company explained on its website. “This is demonstrated by our ISO 14001 accreditation for environmentally managed systems, held since 2018, and our goal for ISO 9001 (Management Standards) accreditation, as well as Corporate Carbon Neutral status by 2024 and Product Carbon Neutral status by 2026.”
ISO 14001 and 9001 are internationally agreed-upon standards for better environmental business management. They focus on waste management and quality assurance. These were set up by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a global business watchdog firm.
The standard launched on June 5, 2023 — World Environment Day. In a digital whitepaper, Hallgarten explained this initiative’s goals, the instructions vineyards must follow to meet them, and how it benefits the climate and the global wine trade.
The publication outlines four key areas of sustainability: Environment, Energy Management, Water & Waste Management, and Social Responsibility. Partner vineyards that met the Standard’s criteria were honored in the whitepaper.
Hallgarten has been recognized as one of the best employers in England. In February, the company announced that it had earned an Investors in People Silver Accreditation for fostering a career-advancing environment.
After the pandemic subsided, Hallgarten wanted to help its employees learn new skills as the work environment changed. The company offered more than 143 courses for employees, including Cultural Consciousness, Net Contribution, Management Training, Presentation Skills, Basic First Aid, British Sign Language, and Microsoft Excel.
In July 2023, the company was named the International Wine Challenger (IWC) On-Trade Supplier of the Year 2023. The judges recognized Hallgarten’s sustainability strategies amidst a 27% company growth rate. Several winemakers in the Hallgarten portfolio took home individual prizes in other IWC competitions, such as the IWC Red Winemaker of the Year 2022 (Rafael Urrejola of Viña Undurraga, Chile).
Photo Courtesy Maja Petric
Hallgarten added a few California winemakers to its portfolio, doubling the size of its Californian representation. Twenty-five new wines were added in 2023 from Australia, France, Italy, and other wine-producing regions. Tastings for new Australian blends were held in Edinburgh and London in January and February. “We strive for accountability in terms of sustainability, ED&I, and the environment,” Hallgarten wrote in its sustainability whitepaper.
