In Major Sustainability Accomplishment: Belvedere Completes Biomass Capture Facility

A significant step forward in the Made With Nature commitments set forth in 2020, the facility will enable the distillery to reduce energy related CO2 emissions by 95% by 2022

WARSAW, Poland, Sept. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Belvedere, the world's first super-premium vodka, today opened what has been three years in the making when in 2018. Belvedere was the first spirits distillery to receive a grant from the European Commission to pilot an ambitious biomass capture facility on site.

With the inauguration of the biomass capture facility today, Belvedere announced an accelerated schedule to reducing its energy CO2 emission: the new facility will start producing 100% renewable energy, and subsequently reduce energy related CO2 emissions by 95% by 2022.

Made With Nature—a powerful platform introduced in 2020 that firmly anchored the brand in nature— set out to demonstrate how in this new era of mindfulness, where consumers are more concerned than ever with what they are putting in their bodies, that Belvedere is made with Polish rye and purified water, then masterfully crafted in a distillation process by fire into an extraordinary vodka of taste and character.  Equally as imperative to Belvedere, is what humans put into our land: codifying a commitment to nourish the lands we share as is exemplified by the opening of this biomass capture facility at the distillery. 

Looking to the future, the brand is taking bold steps in addressing environmental topics to preserve the terroirs its rye comes from, implementing new responsible business practices and innovative green initiatives. These ambitions address various topics and come with more than a decade of academically researched methods and implementation and focus on solutions that prove better business makes a better world in the service of: nourishing the ecosystems, mitigating climate impact, and engaging with society.

President & CEO of Belvedere Vodka, Rodney Williams, commented on the inaugural opening of the biomass facility by noting that "There is a Chinese proverb that says, 'a journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.'  We know we have a long way to realizing our ambitions to nourish the lands we share and protect ecosystems and biodiversity we depend upon. This new biomass facility marks a major step (truly leap) forward towards Belvedere making good on our belief that better business practices create a better world" Williams continued, "we are building on these achievements by setting the bar even higher for ourselves with eight sustainability commitments achievable by 2025."

The 8 commitments include:    

• Convert to Organic Farming: From 2020, Belvedere started to source organic ingredients for all future innovations with all new products reflecting this new standard from 2021. From 2023, the brand will start its transition of being fully organic.
• Restore Landscapes: Belvedere is currently working on a regenerative soil program to be launched in Poland that aims to protect the natural character of agricultural terroirs.
• Reduce Water Waste: The goal is reducing wasted water disposal by 40%, which will contribute to an overall 27% reduction of water sourced from the brand's wells by 2024
• Renewable Energy Solutions: In addition to the biomass capture facility steps, Belvedere is working to install a supplementary solar energy solution at its distillery by 2023.
• Sustainable Packaging Solutions: Belvedere has eliminated 95% of single use plastic and started implementing eco-design for all new products and POSM. By 2025, Belvedere is committed to further reduce the use of plastic by 50%, increase use of recycled plastic by 50%, and increase the use of recycled glass.
• Recover Heat Waste Byproduct: By 2022, Belvedere aims to convert the distillation by-product into fuel. At the same time, the brand is working on a plan to recover the heat waste by reusing exhaust fumes resulting into a reduction of the energy input for the boiler house by 20% by 2021.
• Work With Local Communities to Promote & Supply Green Energy: the brand is working on a plan to supply the city's power network with the green energy produced in-house from 2025 on. At the same time, it will help its agricultural partners moving from 100% to 0% coal dependency with a new renewable energy plan that will be implemented by 2025 directly on site.
• Leverage NGOs and Universities Collaborations for Greater Water Protection & Efficiencies:
• Continue Funding The Foundation For Natural Environmental Protection: Protect the natural environment of the local Pisia-Gągolina river by designing a safeguard and restoration plan to be implemented from 2022 on.
• Long Term Cooperation With Technical University of Lodz and Other Local Universities: By 2023, Belvedere has designed new technical solutions to further reduce our water consumption.

Belvedere's plan for green and renewable energy has been in the making for many years.  From 2012 to 2017, the brand cut energy CO2 emissions by 42% by shifting fuel sources.  Belvedere's 111-year-old distillery has a long history in supporting the Polish community with sustainability initiatives. It co-founded the Foundation for Local Environmental Protection, and only sources its Polish rye grains locally, working to nurture long-term relationships with just five Polish agricultural sources. It also started the Raw Spirit Program, launched in partnership with the Technical University of Lodz to promote the sustainable growth of Polish Rye.

ABOUT BELVEDERE
Made from Polish rye, purified water and a distillation process by fire, Belvedere contains zero additives, in accordance with the legal regulations of Polish Vodka that dictate nothing can be added, is certified kosher and gluten free. Produced in one of the world's longest operating Polish distilleries that has been making vodka since 1910, Belvedere's Master Rye Distillers draw from a 600-year Polish vodka-making history to artfully craft Polish rye into dynamic vodkas of distinct taste and character. All vodkas are gluten-free*. For more information visit https://www.belvederevodka.Com

*Https://nationalceliac.Org/frequently-asked-questions-about-alcohol-on-the-gluten-free-diet/

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