This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 27, 2023 - December 3, 2023

We decided to eliminate gift boxes in June 2021. The good news is that, based on over 20 months of sales figures, we can say that this has had no negative impact on our sales. There has even been a positive effect.” - du Plessis

The Telmont Champagne House was founded in 1912, in the wake of riots in France’s Champagne region, by a brave local winegrower called Henri Lhôpital, who wanted to uphold Champagne’s high standards of quality.

The spirit of rebellion and insistence on quality seem to have been sustained through the decades as the company began committing to environmental protection. Last February, it was awarded the gold medal by the Global Wine Masters awards’ Design & Packaging category for its Réserve de la Terre, which like its other cuvées, follows a “no packaging” policy.

This is part of the company’s “In the name of Mother Nature” project, which aims to drastically reduce its carbon footprint. Champagne Telmont is a supporting partner for The Edge Malaysia ESG Awards 2023.

The company chose to deviate from dominant practices in the sector and eliminated gift boxes and other packaging to “focus on what really counts: the wine. We make champagne, not giftboxes”, according to its press release. This initiative reduced the carbon footprint of every bottle produced by 8%.

“This gold medal is a recognition of the occasionally radical choices the house has made and confirmation that our insight was right. Sometimes, no packaging is the best packaging,” says Ludovic du Plessis, president of Telmont.

“We decided to eliminate gift boxes in June 2021. The good news is that, based on over 20 months of sales figures, we can say that this has had no negative impact on our sales. There has even been a positive effect. Indeed, there is clearly a new generation of customers who no longer want gift boxes or even ‘ecological’ packaging; a new generation for which ‘the best packaging is no packaging’.”

Another initiative Champagne Telmont took was to stop production of transparent bottles, which are made from 0% recycled glass. All its cuvées are now in green bottles, which it says are 100% recyclable and made from 85% recycled glass.

Other than these innovations in packaging, the company has a target to convert 100% of its cultivated areas — its Telmont Estate vineyards and those of its partner winegrowers — to organic agriculture by 2031. Its first AB certification for organic agriculture was received in 2017. According to its website, currently 49% of these areas are certified or in conversion.

Ultimately, Champagne Telmont’s plan is to be climate positive by 2030 — by reducing emissions and offsetting more greenhouse gases that it emits — and net positive by 2050, which means reducing GHG emissions by at least 90% and sequestering more than the equivalent of residual emissions.

To reduce emissions from energy and transport, the company says it sources 100% of its electricity from renewable sources and it has banned air transport for all Telmont distribution since July 2021. From 2024, Telmont champagnes bound for the US will be sent via Neoline ships, which are powered by the wind.

“At Telmont, we are 17 women and men dedicated to creating the best of Champagne, with a radical approach to sustainability because there is no Planet B. You need to act now and change your habits to reduce by 90% your carbon footprint. Yes, it’s possible! Let’s be positive,” says du Plessis.

The Telmont Champagne House was founded in 1912

Telmont cuvées are 100% recyclable and made from 85% recycled glass

Telmont aims to convert 100% of its cultivated areas to organic agriculture by 2031

Telmont reduced the carbon footprint of every bottle by 8% by eliminating gift boxes and other packaging

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