Champagne Telmont releases bottles in ‘193,000 shades of green'
The Champagne House, which is located in Damery, near Epernay, France – and backed by actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio - has already set out its ambitions to become the first climate positive House by 2030 and net positive by 2050.
When glass furnaces change production from one color to another, a certain amount between production runs does not match chromatic standards and is usually rejected. The quality of the glass, however, is unaffected.
It’s this part of the production run that Telmont will embrace to create its '193,000 shades of green' set of bottles per year: embracing rather than avoiding the different color shades.
Reducing glass emissions
Glass packaging represents one of the major sources of carbon emissions in the industry. For Telmont, glass used for bottles represents around 24% of total emissions.
The House has been working with European glass packaging company Verallia to bring the transition glass bottles to market.
Ludovic du Plessis, President of Maison Telmont, said the initiative shows how sustainability should be considered as an opportunity, not a limitation – even when it comes to branding and marketing.
“For us, sustainability is not a limit or a constraint, but a ground for creativity and innovation. Every shade of green is a symbol of our commitment to the environment,” he said. “We're not just changing the color of our bottles, we're trying to transform the wine industry, one shade at a time.”
The House follows the principle that 'the wine will be good if the Earth is beautiful'.
Thus, after earning its first AB (organic agriculture) certification in 2017 for part of its parcels and following the acquisition of a majority stake by the Rémy Cointreau group, Telmont launched a program in 2021 called 'In the name of Mother Nature'.
The aim is to produce a very high-quality champagne while reducing as much as possible its environmental footprint.
The House is in the process of converting to organic viticulture for 100% of its estate and the parcels of its winegrower partners, as well as preserving biodiversity and reducing its carbon footprint.
The Champagne House has already eliminated superfluous gift boxes from its product line-up. It has also moved away from its transparent glass bottles, which did not contain recycled content.
And last year it announced it had created the lightest champagne bottle ever: creating a bottle that weighs 800g (28.2oz), which is 35g (1.2oz) lighter than standard Champagne bottles.
The House also has completely stopped air freight.
