SANTIAGO, Chile, December 14, 2021—VSPT Wine Group is thrilled to announce that Bárbara Wolff Göpfert, VSPT Wine Group’s Chief of Corporate Affairs and Innovation, was named Green Personality of the Year at The Green Awards 2021 in London. Hailed as ‘The Oscars of Sustainability,” the competition is organized each year by The Drinks Business.
The VSPT Wine Group—known for brands such as Altaïr, Cabo de Hornos, Sideral, 1865, GatoNegro, Viña Tarapacá and Leyda in Chile, as well as La Celia and Graffigna in Argentina—received added recognition at the awards. The company was shortlisted as a finalist in two additional categories: Green Company of the Year and The Ethical Award.
“I regard this acknowledgment as great encouragement; encouragement to continue challenging ourselves, to continue proposing, to continue building. I am tremendously proud of VSPT and everything that our team has achieved over the past 13 years,” commented Wolff. “I am excited to look for more collaborative opportunities, such as our membership in the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) and our recent incorporation into the Sustainable Round Table as a founding member, so that our industry and country will serve as an example for others to follow. By focusing on wines that are produced and sold in an increasingly sustainable manner, we can carry the Chilean flag to every table in the world in the greenest and best way possible.”
The awards are a result of Wolff’s leadership in this space. Determined and committed, she directed a concrete and flawless sustainability agenda within VSPT and continually pushed for a more cooperative spirit within the industry. Under her guidance, Sustainability became a Strategic Objective for the business and a Corporate Value for the organization, enabling VSPT to become the planet’s most sustainable wine group.
From the outset, Wolff directed all of her passion and energy into reaching goals that demonstrated concrete progress. Her first objective was to implement 360 sustainable initiatives by 2016, all of which were verified by Deloitte, enabling VSPT to be named Green Company of the Year by The Green Awards, that same year. Simultaneously, she drove a Renewable Energy agenda for cleaner production, and inaugurated Chile’s first Biogas Plant – capable of generating clean energy using its own organic waste from harvest – as well as the first mini run-of-the-river Hydroelectric Plant for a Chilean winery. Her latest achievement has been the incorporation of new non-conventional renewable energies to supply 100% of the group’s operations by 2021.
Wolff made Climate Change VSPT’s most urgent cause, and this role has transcended the organization’s initial goals. Now, VSPT pushes for increasingly collaborative work. In 2020, the company joined the table of the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), with the clear and ambitious goal for VSPT to become Carbon Positive by 2050.
Other noteworthy aspects include driving programs for Conscious Consumption and brands with purpose, as well as an Ecodesign Policy with clear, challenging directive for the reduction, circularization and final disposal of bottles and packaging. All these measures position VSPT as a global pioneer in the field. In addition, the group recently announced its commitment to Responsible Supply, calling for suppliers to comply with new sustainable requirements, spanning the entire production chain.
These milestones are only part of Wolff’s accomplishments and have enabled VSPT to become a benchmark for sustainability in the domestic and international industry. However, it is her passion; joy, leadership and collaborative spirit that makes her stand out as an example when it comes to making the changes the industry needs.
About VSPT Wine Group:
VSPT Wine Group is one of the Top 20 global wine producers (17 million cases per year) and is a leader in wine sales in Chile. Sustainability is at the heart of the world-class organization, which is also among the Top 10 producer in Argentina and is an important player in the world of sparkling wines.
The wine group is comprised of renowned brands with leadership in diverse markets, such as Altaïr, Cabo de Hornos, Sideral, 1865, GatoNegro, Gran Reserva Tarapacá and Leyda in Chile, as well as La Celia and Graffigna in Argentina.
