Inspired by the coastal vitality of Salcombe and its ship building heritage, the protection of the oceans is very important to Salcombe Distilling Company (SDCo.), with a desire to help protect and maintain the precious ocean environment that inspires and influences everything they do.
From June 2021 until the end of the year, SDCo. will donate 1% of ‘Start Point’, ‘Rosé Sainte Marie’ their award-winning gin and ‘New London Light’ their non-alcoholic spirit to help rewild the oceans and sequester carbon in parallel, while vigorously reducing their carbon footprint.
SDCo. have partnered with the Marine Conservation Society in the UK to help protect and regenerate ocean forests. Seagrass meadows account for 10% of the ocean’s carbon sequestration and are hugely important in the battle against climate change. For each bottle that SDCo. sell in the UK, up to 2m2 of seagrass will be protected and regenerated.
As part of their mission to reduce their carbon footprint, SDCo. is working hard to launch meaningful initiatives to ensure that they minimise their impact on the environment whilst making the most positive contribution to improve the health and wellbeing of the oceans.
In addition to the above, SDCo. have implemented the following actions across the business:
- Carbon Neutral Shipping: All UK orders are dispatched using DPD’s carbon neutral shipping service.
- Prohibiting Plastic, where possible: SDCo. refuse to use single use plastics, and prohibit the use of plastic from product packaging and dispatch. Boxes are sealed using SDCo.’s own branded paper tape. Conventional plastic bubble wrap and polystyrene fill have been replaced with biodegradable starch-based alternatives derived from vegetables, which can go directly in your compost.
- Renewable Energy: The electricity used across sites, is from 100% renewable sources.
- Gin Refill Scheme: When returning a bottle of ‘Start Point’ or ‘Rose Sainte Marie’ to The Victuallers (SDCo.’s experience and retail store in Salcombe) for a gin refill, they offer 10% off the retail price.
Howard Davies, Co-Founder of Salcombe Distilling Co. tells, “Given the importance of seagrass we’re thrilled to launch our new partnership with the Marine Conservation Society; we will make a contribution to the Marine Conservation Society’s seagrass project for every bottle of ‘Start Point’, ‘Rosé Sainte Marie’ and ‘New London Light’ sold here in the UK. This means that for each bottle sold up to 2m2 of seagrass will be protected, providing a real and tangible benefit to the ongoing wellbeing of our oceans and a valuable contribution to the global battle against climate change. We aim to make the most positive contribution possible to improve the health and wellbeing of the world’s oceans alongside producing exceptional spirits and have created an ethos to support this through everything we do.”
Katharine Sharp, Corporate Partnerships Manager, Marine Conservation Society shares, “At Marine Conservation Society, we are thrilled to be working with Salcombe Distilling Company again to help raise awareness of the issues facing our oceans. As passionate supporters of our work and a sustainable, environmentally focused company, we are pleased they have chosen to support our project on carbon capture and sequestration through seagrass protection and re-seeding.”
Oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface and are the world’s largest store of carbon; an estimated 83% of the global carbon cycle is circulated through marine waters. The oceans are a fundamental influence for life above and below the water. They are what brought the founders of SDCo. together and are an important part of Salcombe Distilling Co. DNA and inspiration. SDCo. believe the oceans are one of the most undervalued and mistreated resources that the planet has to offer and are working hard to have a positive influence on the ocean, helping turn the tide for the blue planet we’re all truly devoted to.
SDCo. is very ambitious in all that they do and their commitment to the ocean is no exception. They will continue their voyage to a sustainable future and hope to lead the journey for other brands in the industry.
