FACED WITH THE URGENCY OF CLIMATE CHANGE, HENNESSY CONTINUES ITS EFFORTS TO DECARBONIZE AND PLACES FOREST AND VINEYARD PRESERVATION EFFORTS AT THE HEART OF ITS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY.

In a context of climate emergency that demands we improve our environmental and social impact and increase investment in R&D, the publication of our second sustainable development report is an opportunity for Hennessy to reaffirm its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint as well as its commitments to sustainable viticulture and forest preservation. To this end, Hennessy is capitalizing on three key ambitions of its environmental strategy: to halve its carbon emissions by 2030, in absolute terms; to engage our partners in sustainable viticulture, and to regenerate 50,000 hectares of forest worldwide, also by 2030. Moreover, in the years ahead Maison Hennessy aims to further develop social and societal projects that foster social inclusion and development through culture.

TOWARD A NEW MODEL OF SUSTAINABLE AND INNOVATIVE VITICULTURE

With global warming of 2°C, 56% of the world’s wine-producing regions could disappear1. Our ambition is to make the vineyards of Cognac a reference for best practices in the wine world by respecting both product quality and our need for reasonable yields. The quality of our cognacs being directly linked to nature and the art of winegrowing, we are implementing agroecology and biodiversity initiatives in our own vineyards and expanding sustainable viticulture throughout the Cognac region.

Since 2021, Hennessy has eliminated the use of herbicides on the 180 hectares of its La Bataille estate and is engaging its winegrowing partners to achieve a goal of zero herbicides by 2028. We are working with our 1,600 winegrowing partners to obtain Cognac Environmental Certification (CEC)2 by 2025, an approach established by cognac industry stakeholders to protect biodiversity and the environment of our vineyards.

Recognizing the need to adapt its practices to climate change, Hennessy is experimenting with and investing in research programs. The company is testing measures on its own La Bataille estate to make it a place of learning and innovation on several topics: soil life, producing quality grapes, and new vine varieties.

THE FOREST: AT THE HEART OF HENNESSY’S CONSIDERATIONS

Forests are home to 80% of the Earth’s biodiversity, provide 75% of our water and are carbon reservoirs. They are vital to soil preservation. Since its founding more than 250 years ago, Hennessy has maintained a close bond with the forest. During the essential aging phase, cognacs are born of the interaction between oak barrels and the eaux-de-vie they contain. Oak is therefore present at every stage of cognac’s development and transformation, from the forest to our integrated cooperage atelier.

For this reason, Hennessy chose to invest in forest regeneration and has set a goal of regenerating 50,000 hectares of forestland in France and around the world by 2030.

In France, we are involved in the Bois de la Celle, the Bois de Bagnolet and the Braconne forests with the support of the French National Forest Office. In the Braconne forest in Charente, we plan to plant 35,000 oak trees on 25 hectares in 5 years.

Worldwide, we are working in several countries (Kenya, Madagascar, South Africa, Tanzania, China, the United States, etc.) alongside Reforest’Action and local NGOs to set up reforestation and agroforestry programs to protect biodiversity and support communities. In Kenya, for example, Hennessy financed the regeneration of 415 hectares (the equivalent of 250,000 trees) in the Mount Kenya National Forest. In total, 3,141 hectares have already been regenerated in 2020 and 2021, representing 1.6 million trees.

REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS FROM PRODUCTION TO DISTRIBUTION

Hennessy continues efforts to limit its carbon footprint at all stages of its activity, from production to distribution. The company’s objective is to halve its carbon emissions by 2030 in absolute terms.
This notably entails choosing more sustainable modes of transport, eco-designing buildings and packaging, reducing energy consumption and expanding reliance on renewable energy.

As of 2021, 100% of our industrial and administrative sites use renewable energy sources: biogas, which has an 80% lower emission factor than fossil fuel, and green electricity. We favor eco-design for packaging and the local sourcing of materials and seek to reduce the impact of the glass used for our bottles.

A STRATEGY OF SOCIAL AND SOCIETAL PROGRESS

The House’s history is steeped in diversity, culture, and placing its priorities on people. Social and societal dimensions are therefore important pillars for Maison Hennessy, which in the years to come aims to further develop projects that favor social inclusion and development through culture.