G.H. MUMM CHAMPAGNE MADE ITS MARK ON HISTORY AS TOWT SAILING CARGO SHIP HAS ARRIVED IN NEW-YORK, U.S.A,ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2024
September, 2024
New-York, September 4 2024 – True to its pioneering spirit, Mumm bottles reached New-York’s harbor this September 3, 2024, paving the way for low-carbon shipping. A sailing cargo ship from Le Havre-based TOWT, the largest and most efficient in its class, sailed for New York. This first crossing demonstrates G.H. Mumm’s ambition to make sailing cargo the primary means of transporting its champagnes to the United States in the long term. This important step is part of a global path towards carbon neutrality by 2050, throughout the entire value chain, of which viticulture, packaging, sources of emissions.
PIONEERS IN DECARBONIZED SHIPPING
Champagne Maison Mumm’s history with the sea is long and rich, the finest illustration of which is its support of polar explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot on his Antarctic expedition in 1904. One hundred and twenty years later, true to its pioneering spirit, G.H. Mumm did once again take the sea, in line with a commitment to a journey towards decarbonization.
Since their first encounter in 2020, it has taken G.H Mumm and TOWT – TransOceanic Wind Transport – only 4 years to turn their shared vision into reality. It is a partnership based on a pioneering spirit and common ecological convictions.
Having immediately recognized the promise and potential of the young company from Brittany, now based in its home port of Le Havre, G.H Mumm signed a commitment letter in 2021, enabling TOWT to begin construction of its first sailing cargo ship in Concarneau.
90% of the world’s goods are traded by sea, representing over 15% of global CO2 emissions by 2050. An unlimited and predicable resource, wind can provide a reliable and effective solution for reducing the impact of this mode of transport.
The TOWT sailing cargo ship departed from the port of Le Havre on Friday August 9, 2024, for a 14-day voyage. It is not only the largest such vessel ever built in modern history, but also the most powerful in its class: – 81 meters long – 6 cargo holds with a combined capacity of over 1,000 tons – Over 90% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to a traditional cargo ship. – Several breakthrough innovations in the maritime field (boat design, sail and mast technologies, wind prediction algorithms, etc.). G.H Mumm now plans to make one transatlantic crossing a month, and to increase volumes as the fleet expands.
The sailing cargo ship has the added benefit of considerably reducing air pollution, particularly sulphur emissions, of which global shipping is responsible for 18%.
“As a player in the luxury world, G.H Mumm has a responsibility to set an example by innovating with regard to the environment and making new practices desirable. What was yesterday only an ambitious project for the future, carried out with TOWT, is today a reliable ecological, commercial and technological reality,” says César Giron, President of Martell Mumm Perrier-Jouët.
“I salute the confidence that César Giron has shown in the TOWT project from the outset. Thanks to his visionary outlook, he has made G.H Mumm the first shipper to commit to us. There’s real satisfaction in seeing these terroir products benefit from low-carbon shipping. It’s the right thing to do,”adds Guillaume Le Grand, Co-founder of TOWT.
A GLOBAL COMMITMENT TO CARBON NEUTRALITY
G.H Mumm’s initiative is part of the Pernod Ricard Group’s path to carbon neutrality by 2050 according to the SBTi, of which it is a member.
As such, G.H Mumm works on scopes 1, 2 and 3, the main carbon emissions being from viticulture, packaging, distillation and transport. Throughout the value chain, from the vine to the consumer, the group is multiplying its initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of its activities.
Since 2021, the Maison has initiated a regenerative viticulture program in its own vineyards aimed at restoring soil life, improving the functionality and resilience of vineyards, reducing emissions (organic fertilizers, electric vehicles or biofuels) and promoting carbon sequestration (plant cover, vitiforestry).
These practices will be extended to 100% of the three vineyard areas by 2030 and shared with grower partners.
By 2025, G.H Mumm is aiming for 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging, a continuous reduction in the weight of glass bottles and the elimination of gift boxes on an increasing number of categories…
In the field of transport, emissions have been reduced by an average of 30% in the entity’s Maison since 2019. G.H Mumm has given up air transport – now close to zero – in favor of multimodal transport – rail and sea – and switched to biofuel for the remaining road transport. The TOWT partnership falls within the context of this strategy.
“This first shipment of our champagnes on the TOWT sailing cargo ship illustrates our commitment to the decarbonization of all our activities. In transport, we’ve been on the right track for several years, but we needed a breakthrough solution in the maritime sector. We are proud to have been at TOWT’s side from the beginning, and to embark on this new-generation sailing cargo ship,”comments Sonia Le Masne, Sustainable Development Director at G.H Mumm.
ABOUT G.H MUMM:
A visionary entrepreneur, Georges Hermann Mumm personifies the motto of the champagne House that bears his name: Nec plus ultra – an ethos symbolized by its emblematic Cordon Rouge. Driven by a qued for excellence since 1827, Maison Mumm constantly explores and innovates, moving forward with an uplifting energy for the benefit of its wines. The House excels in selecting and blending the best terroirs in Champagne to express the wealth of qualities in Pinot Noir. Maison Mumm’s signature grape for the best part of 200 years defines the singular personality of its wines: fresh intensity, generous fruit and an elegant structure, achieved after resting between two and five years in the House’s cellars in Reims.
ABOUT TWOT:
Founded in 2011 by Guillaume Le Grand and Diana Mesa, TOWT (TransOceanic Wind Transport) is now France’s leading sailing cargo carrier. TOWT has been shipping goods by sail for 10 years and has already carried out 57 shipments and charter 18 vessels. The company has transported more than a million products and is now aiming to reach an industrial level by building a first generation of innovative, high-tech sailing cargo ships.
