(SustainableBrands) - Fetzer Vineyards, a leader in regenerative winegrowing, is revolutionizing the way U.S. wineries conserve water, announcing today that it will install the BioFiltro BIDA® System at its Mendocino winery. In doing so, Fetzer — a certified B Corp — will become the first American winery to use the  closed-loop biological wastewater treatment system to process 100 percent of its winery wastewater. Powered by billions of earthworms working rapidly in concert with beneficial microbes, the BIDA® System will begin processing Fetzer Vineyards' wastewater during the 2016 harvest season, accruing energy savings up to 85 percent over current wastewater treatment technologies and optimizing water conservation measures in support of the fight against climate change.

"It's essential that we constantly ask ourselves if there is a better, more efficient and more regenerative way to approach our business, including the way we work with water," said Fetzer CEO Giancarlo Bianchetti. "BioFiltro offers a compelling process that aligns with our business goals as well as our overarching objective to leave the world a better place than we found it."

The BioFiltro BIDA® System

BioFiltro's patented BIDA® System is a passive aerobic bioreactor that catalyzes the digestive power of microbes and selected species of red earthworms to naturally remove up to 99 percent of contaminants from Fetzer Vineyards' wastewater, in as little as four hours. The chemical-free system consumes significantly less electricity than traditional wastewater treatment technologies such as aeration ponds, which require constant electricity to pump and circulate water. The BIDA® System works efficiently year-round in spite of seasonal fluctuations in wastewater flow as often seen in the wine industry, and generates compost-enhancing castings from worm digestion, returning nutrients to the soil.