Four Pillars has claimed the title as Australia’s first carbon neutral gin distillery as it unveiled an AS$7 million (US$5.3 million) dollar upgrade to its Healesville headquarters in Victoria’s Yarra Valley. The expanded distillery is set to open to the public by the end of April.
The certification, under Climate Active – an Australian government initiative and one of the most strident carbon neutral programmes worldwide – is awarded to businesses that have reached a state of achieving zero net emissions.
Not only will all Four Pillars gins bottled onsite be certified carbon neutral, but its business operations have also achieved carbon neutral status by being included in the Lion Australia’s organisation certification last year. Lion is a partner of Four Pillars.
“Four Pillars has been working with Climate Active and consultants Ndver Environmental for more than a year to achieve this accreditation, which takes into account all elements of the gin’s journey beyond the distillery door,” the company said.
“From the very first day we distilled gin we have tried to recycle, re-use and replenish our environment and give back to the community. We cannot give more to the community than assure it that our gins tread carefully on our planet especially in this time of climate crisis.”
Mackenzie noted that the Four Pillars’ journey to carbon neutral “began with the simple idea of reusing oranges for marmalade”. It continued with giving spent botanicals to pigs for feed, putting solar panels on the distillery’s roof and offsetting what can be an energy-intensive production process by purchasing mainly domestic carbon credits.
“To be honest, we are doing no more, or less, than what should be expected of a business that is lucky enough to be based in the magnificent natural surrounds of the Yarra Valley,” Mackenzie added.
The soon-to-launch Four Pillars distillery, named Healesville 2.0, is a considerable expansion of the original site. It will become a new benchmark for craft gin distilleries worldwide, the company claimed.
The new site is directly adjacent and wholly connected to the original Four Pillars home on Lilydale Road, Healesville. It has been designed by Melbourne’s sustainability-led Breathe Architecture.
In addition to its commitment to an emissions reduction strategy, Four Pillars said it is dedicated to achieving broader sustainability wins which were instrumental during the planning and build of Healesville 2.0.
Construction materials included recycled and upcycled concrete and bricks, pineapple ‘leather’ upholstery and building waste which has been carefully used and given a second life.
Furniture is locally sourced, solar power panels clad the roof, and internal and external landscaping includes plantings of local natives and botanicals, many of which will be used in future gin distillations.
Gin will be piped directly into the main bar through featured copper pipes to reduce glass waste and bottled tonic usage will be reduced, replaced in the most part by tonic in kegs. “These two initiatives alone will see the site save 29 tonnes of glass per year,” Four Pillars added.
The entire site – incorporating the old and new buildings – will be enclosed by a copper ‘veil’ made from 1,650m of raw copper tubing. This, according to Four Pillars, will give Healesville a new landmark as well as working as a natural heat exchange to reduce energy consumption.
Other sustainability projects include reusing the one tonne of spent botanicals produced each week in the Four Pillars’ Made from Gin food range as mulch for local gardens.
Four Pillars Gin was established in 2013 in the Yarra Valley on the outskirts of Melbourne and has become Australia’s number-one craft spirit and a leading light in the Australian and global gin revolution of recent years. Four Pillars was awarded International Gin Producer of the Year in 2019 and 2020 by the IWSC. The company makes a range of gins headlined by its original Rare Dry Gin, Olive Leaf Gin, Spiced Negroni Gin, cult favourite Bloody Shiraz Gin and the Navy Strength Gin. The company also produces a range of barrel-aged gins, including the sought-after Australian Christmas Gin and limited-release collaborative gins made with distillers, bartenders and friends. |
