Sustainable Australian wine brand Tread Softly has planted its two millionth tree in partnership with carbon offset provider Carbon Neutral.
Since commencing the brand’s give-back project in 2019, Tread Softly has planted a tree for every case of wine sold in the Tread Softly Forest.
Together with Carbon Neutral, Tread Softly has planted a bio-diverse mix of more than 50 species of native trees to regenerate the lands that were once cleared for agricultural use, with the aim to re-establish biodiversity in the area through a thriving ecosystem of flora and fauna.
Set within rural bushland in Western Australia’s Yarra Yarra biodiversity corridor, the Tread Softly Forest has seen hundreds of native species and wildlife return to their natural habitat.
“You can see the difference from the red barren landscape and right next to it is this forest being created by Tread Softly’s consumers,” said Carbon Neutral COO Nevin Wittber.
“You can hear the birds and the animals coming back to what would have been a much harsher landscape previously. Over time, this forest will represent what it was before the land was cleared,”
It is expected that over the course of the next 25 years, the trees planted to date will sequester around 125,000 tonnes of CO2e from the atmosphere, the equivalent of 35,000 cars off the road annually.
Fourth Wave Wine Managing Director Ross Marshall said: “It is so thrilling to be able to contribute in such a significant way with the Tread Softly range. We knew we wanted to plant as many trees as we could to help rejuvenate our cleared and degraded landscape as well as reduce the harmful effects caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
“The much-needed restoration of a now huge land area has only been possible through the continued support of Tread Softly customers. This is a wonderful achievement for us all to be proud of, and we will not stop here.”
Tread Softly is also now bottling its wines in 15% lighter glass. For every 100,000 bottles made previously, another 15,000 bottles can be produced using the same volume of glass.
“With less material being used, the wines are 55 grams lighter per bottle and 42kg lighter per pallet, requiring less fuel whether transported by truck or ship. By using less glass, the brand is also able to reduce the energy used to produce a bottle – another positive step towards reducing C02 emissions,” said Michelle Buzza from Tread Softly’s bottling partner Sanector.
The lighter, more eco-friendly bottles will roll out across all Tread Softly wine products, including the Pinot Noir, Rose, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Grenache, Merlot, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc as well as a complete zero-alcohol range, ‘Everything Except,’ retailing from $16 (RRP).
Tread Softly plants one million trees