SUCCESS STORY

Driving sales growth through sustainable branding: 10 International

10 International, a wine marketer and wholesaler, developed its Sea Change range to combine minimal, sustainable packaging with a clear environmental mission. This helped the business build customer loyalty, win awards, and drive strong sales growth.

Impact at a glance

• Sold over 2.3 million bottles of Sea Change wine since launch in 2018
• Secured prestige hospitality customers, including Ritz-Carlton
• Built an award-winning brand with strong customer recognition

The business

10 International is a UK-based wine sales and marketing company, founded in 2006. It works with carefully selected producers across the  world’s major wine regions to create a portfolio, including a number of proprietary brands. The business aims to make wine more accessible through clear, engaging communication while maintaining quality and authenticity.

Sector: Food/drink (wine wholesaler)

Region: South East

Size: 1-50 employees

Why they took action

The leadership team had a strong personal commitment to sustainability but also recognised an opportunity to address a commercial challenge: building brand recognition in a category purchasing decisions are typically driven by grape variety and price). Sea Change was created to combine environmental impact with a compelling differentiated brand proposition.

What they did

The company developed Sea Change Wine as a sustainability-led brand focused on reducing packaging impact and supporting ocean conservation. They also began measuring and managing their carbon footprint.

Medium cost actions

Removed unnecessary packaging elements and reduced bottle weight, cutting CO2e emissions while lowering UK EPR packaging costs through lower glass usage.

Introduced labels made from recycled grape waste.

Upgraded to energy-efficient LED lighting.

Prioritised lower-carbon freight methods, increasing use of rail and sea.

Significant capital investment

Transitioned company vehicles to EVs.

Embedded a donation to ocean conservation charities for every bottle sold (over 750,000 euros donated as of March 2026).

What difference it made

Sea Change has become one of 10 International’s most successful and recognisable brands, with over 2.8 million bottles sold since its launch. The range has won multiple industry awards, and secured listings with leading hospitality groups, including premium UK and international operators where sustainability credentials resonate strongly with both buyers and consumers.

The business has also decreased its carbon intensity with carbon emissions growing at a slower rate than turnover, demonstrating progression in decoupling growth from environmental impact.

How were the changes funded?

The development of Sea Change and associated initiatives were funded through internal investment.

Lessons for other businesses

10 International shows how embedding credible sustainability into core brand strategy can drive differentiation, customer loyalty and commercial success even in highly competitive and price-driven categories.

Find out more about 10 International