“At Casella Family Brands we have a commitment to operating responsibly and sustainably. We strive to make a positive impact through the way we do business and the role we play in society.” John Casella, Managing Director
Land
Our grapes are sourced from a network of growers and our own vineyards across Australia. We only use sustainable viticultural practices with minimal intervention and we continuously review our methods in order to minimise our impact on the environment.
Alternative chemistry and management strategies have been underway for over 12 months within the Riverina and the approach to reduce the use of agricultural chemicals is now being applied to all Casella owned vineyards nationally. Selected sites in South Australia are grazing sheep during the winter months reducing our herbicide usage by up to 50%.
The Baileys of Glenrowan vineyard enjoys a unique micro-climate that is naturally well suited to organic farming. In 2009 the decision was made to convert the entire vineyard to organic management practises, attaining full certification in 2011. From the 2016 vintage onwards, both the growing and the making of Baileys estate-grown wines are certified organic.
Materials & Packaging
Casella Family Brands is a signatory to the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO). APCO is a co-regulatory, not for profit organisation that partners with government and industry to reduce the harmful impact of packaging on the Australian environment. We are committed to improving the sustainability of our packaging, which involves initiatives to reduce packaging weight, optimise packaging material efficiency, optimise recycled and/or renewable content and continuously investigate opportunities to divert waste from landfill.
Energy
Regular audits are undertaken to identify energy-saving opportunities. Casella Family Brands continually plans, documents, measures and monitors processes to ensure that environmental performance is constantly being improved.
Water
Casella Family Brands leads the way in waste-water management and is proud to have one of the largest waste-water treatment schemes of its type in Australia at the Yenda-based winery. Our treatment scheme is capable of recycling the equivalent of over 160 Olympic-sized swimming pools each year which means that we can retain and reuse rainwater and wastewater. At the Peter Lehmann winery site we recycle all water on site meaning every litre of water used at least twice and there is no waste water.
Environment Operations Act
Casella holds an environment protection licence (licence number 11733). As required by the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, we are regularly publishing our monitoring data for the following monitoring points:
- Monitoring point 1 & 2: Soil samples collected 6 monthly and flow readings collected monthly
- Monitoring points 8-26 & 28-29: 6 monthly for a period of 12 months when wastewater has been applied
- Monitoring point 27: Reported yearly
- Monitoring point 30 & 31: Only during discharge event
Click here for EPA data.
People
Diversity & Inclusion
Casella Family Brands values the diversity and inclusion of all our people and the contributions they individually make to the workplace – people are central to everything we do as a business. We strive to create an inclusive culture that positively promotes people’s skills – irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity or disability.
We are committed to ensuring that everyone enjoys equal employment opportunities, which means they are treated fairly and equally when employment decisions are made and that unlawful discrimination or harassment does not take place.
Recruitment, hiring, training, reparation and career progression at Casella Family Brands is based on merit, taking into consideration qualifications, training, performance, skills and experience.
Health & Safety
Casella Family Brands is committed to high standards of Work Health & Safety to protect the safety and well-being of our employees as well as visitors to our wineries, offices and other sites. We have a Work Health and Safety company policy and a number of training programs in place that are directly related to our business operations and activities. We are ISO 45001:2018 certified.
Community
We view the communities that Casella Family Brands operates in as our extended family. That’s why we invest in a range of corporate and social responsibility initiatives that are designed to positively impact our communities and enhance the joy in peoples’ lives. We proudly support a number of charities, sporting teams and events within our local communities. Each year, we also hold two key fundraising events supporting Cancer Council Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea and Carrie’s Beanies for Brain Cancer. Our Yenda-based staff also have the opportunity to volunteer within their community via a partnership we have with Meals on Wheels.
Casella Family Brands Modern Slavery Statement 2021
This Modern Slavery Statement is made in accordance with the Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth). It applies to and describes the steps taken by Casella Family Brands to seek to minimise the risk of modern slavery occurring in our businesses operations and supply chain. As required under the Modern Slavery Act, we will submit an annual statement at the end of each financial year, describing the actions we have taken to assess and address modern slavery risks in our supply chains and operations. Download the Statement here.
Casella Family Brands Whistleblower Policy
We take all of our employee’s conduct seriously and have instituted rigorous guidelines that detail the handling of any reportable concerns that have been raised with respect to such conduct. Review the Policy here.