62% less total water consumption, 50% less consumption of phytopharmaceuticals, 7 environmental certifications, a company protocol for territorial production, 31 years of university research, 10 scholarships financed, 53 degree theses focused on Arnaldo Caprai's activity. These are just some of the numbers emerging from the first sustainability report that the Umbrian winery headed by Marco Caprai, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, has just released to communicate, methodically and transparently, its objectives, performance and activities relating to the three aspects of sustainability: economic, environmental and social. This work began several decades ago, with the development of agronomic practices that respect the environment and the study of the best oenological techniques necessary to enhance our most precious grape variety, Sagrantino.
"For our company, presenting a sustainability report means bringing the history of a territory and its vine of excellence, Sagrantino di Montefalco, into the Third Millennium. This is not an unusual event for Arnaldo Caprai,' explains Marco Caprai. 'For almost fifty years we have in fact been bringing together the ancient wisdom of making wine from a remote vine with research and new technologies. For us men and women who have chosen to make the visceral relationship with the land our existential code, the great challenge of our time is to practise an agriculture that is not only respectful of the environment, but also ethical: convinced that only in this way can our wines continue to be ambassadors of the Montefalco territory throughout the world".
At Arnaldo Caprai (117 employees, 160 hectares of vineyards, 8 hectares of forest, 8 of olive groves, 6 hectares of uncultivated meadows, €4,869,000 turnover in 2020), sustainability is expressed by in the integration of environmental improvement of production techniques, social commitment and the ability to take care of the economic longevity of the territory and its activities. Putting it all down on paper for the first time appears to be an enormous amount of work, conducted with tenacity day after day even in the year horribilis 2020, to which this first edition of the company's sustainability report refers and which is divided into four themes. For the themes environmental the spotlight is on agriculture 4.0, in which many investments have been made in digital technologies and precision agriculture; on the latest generation of chemistry, thanks to the use of innovative chemical products with low environmental impact and high efficiency; on biodiversity in the vineyard, with the improvement of water, air and vineyard soil biodiversity levels. For the themes cheap The focus is on international market presence, with the ability to penetrate products in 26 countries, including iconic food and wine locations; on the study of economic sustainability for any modification and/or improvement of business processes; on increasing turnover for the consolidation of business strategies. For the social sustainabilityThe report emphasises constant attention to improving the working environment for the safety and wellbeing of workers; training of students in wine and oenology through partnerships with school institutes of all levels; constant training of employees with courses and support for the development of ideas and projects. Finally, the transversal themes: Research and Development, with a profound and constant commitment to research and development activities for the continuous introduction of process and product innovations (such as the GrapeAssistance projects, an innovative vine defence model, and 3K.0 for the digital stamping of the hours worked in the field); production quality with constant research to improve quality; enhancement of the Montefalco district, which translates into a commitment to improve its attractiveness, including to tourism; partnerships with university departments and specialised research centres; strengthening consumer information on sustainability, by raising awareness and training in sustainable production processes.
"With this vision, for example, in 2008 we devised the first certifiable Italian territorial sustainability protocol in the world of wine, the New Green Revolution, which was awarded at EXPO 2015 for its contribution to sustainable development," reads the report. "Today we are among the first Italian companies to be certified with the Equalitas sustainability protocol. In this, our first report, we wanted to integrate our business strategy with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Despite the goals we have achieved, we are still committed to experimenting with new agronomic and oenological techniques, certain that this is the only way we will be able to ensure the integrity and care of the territories and a constant improvement in the material living conditions of the communities living there.
'The Caprai company is a good example of what Italy can be,' says Ermete Realacci, President of the Symbola Foundation - when it makes Italy and its sustainability report helps to tell the story. A cross between know-how, advanced technologies, cohesion, and a relationship with the community and its history. I am thinking for example of the restoration of the painting of the great Benozzo Gozzoli promoted by Marco. And then, above all, good wines that help to draw and keep alive an extraordinary landscape. On the eve of COP26 in Glasgow and in the midst of the commitment to the green transition, this Caprai adventure speaks to us not only of work but of a green game for the future, towards an economy on a more human scale, as is written in the Assisi Manifesto. This is also why Marco Caprai was among the founders of the Symbola Foundation from the very beginning'.
The first edition of the sustainability report of the Arnaldo Caprai winery has been prepared in accordance with the "GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards" defined in 2016 by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) according to the "Core" option, as set out in Standard 101: Foundation, paragraph 3. It is the first sustainability report filed with the Umbria Chamber of Commerce.
ARNALDO CAPRAI FARM AT A GLANCE
Few other wineries in Italy and around the world are immediately identified just by mentioning the name of the denomination to which they belong, like Arnaldo Caprai, itself a symbol of Sagrantino di Montefalco. A unique reality, synonymous with Italian excellence, capable of creating wines that are out of the ordinary in terms of depth, elegance and longevity: not only reds, but also whites. The credit for this adventure that began in the late 1970s goes to Marco Caprai, Arnaldo's son. It was he, in fact, more than anyone else who believed in the richness of Sagrantino, reinterpreting it in a modern key, through the most innovative production and business management methods, which have enabled him to win the favour of the public and critics all over the world. Not to be outdone by the whites: Arnaldo Caprai's Grecante, 100% Grechetto, managed to conquer Wine Spectator's Top100.
A great company, Arnaldo Caprai, that guards a green soul, considering issues concerning sustainability, protection and safeguarding the environment as fundamental. The point of observation always remains the same: trying to behave in harmony with natural evolution cycles, preserving and enhancing the territory in which it operates. This is why the company decided to create an Environmental Management System that complies with international regulations, developing a voluntary territorial protocol of environmental, economic and social sustainability of the production process.
It is in this unparalleled context that wines of unforgettable substance are born, complex and elegant, capable of narrating the best of an entire region, Umbria.
