The Marlborough Circular Wine Programme is an industry-led, circular solution that diverts solid and liquid winery lees waste from landfill and returns organic matter and carbon to vineyards. The programme aims to cut emissions, improve vineyard soils, and strengthen winery sustainability practices.
Marlborough produces approximately 11,500 tonnes of winery lees each year. Produced in large volumes over a short period, lees can be costly to manage and place significant pressure on wastewater and waste infrastructure. At the same time, it contains organic matter, carbon and nutrients that have potential value when safely recovered and returned to vineyard soils.
The Marlborough Circular Wine Programme aims to establish a long-term, scalable, circular system for recovering these resources and returning them to productive use. A successful model will also provide a blueprint for other wine regions throughout New Zealand.
How it works
The programme will collect winery waste from participating wineries and transport it to a dedicated processing facility. There, it will be treated and blended with organic materials, including compost and biochar, to create a soil amendment for use in vineyards.
Wineries will pay a disposal fee that is competitive with landfill disposal. The finished soil amendment will then be returned to participating vineyards and spread at no additional cost, creating a circular system that turns winery waste into a useful vineyard resource.
For participating wineries, the programme will provide a practical, cost-effective and sustainable alternative to conventional disposal.
Funding and delivery
The programme will be delivered by Bragato Research Institute. The Government is investing $2.79 million through the Primary Sector Growth Fund, alongside $4.19 million in co-investment from New Zealand Winegrowers and participating wineries. The programme is also supported by The Green Circle and Marlborough District Council.
Bragato Research Institute will lead the programme’s scientific validation, quality assurance, process optimisation and industry extension, working with wineries, growers and project partners to develop a practical system that can operate at commercial scale.
Outcomes
The programme is one step towards helping the New Zealand wine industry reach its goal of achieving zero waste to landfill by 2050. Over the next four years, the programme aims to divert around 3,000 tonnes of solid lees from landfill and wastewater systems each year, mitigating around 4,700 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions.
If you are winery or vineyard based in Marlborough and are interested in participating, please contact Seth Laurenson at info@bri.co.nz for more information. A materials guide is available below.
