How drinking sustainable wine can help vineyards and the planet
Retrieved on:
Wednesday, January 3, 2024
The wine industry has faced criticism over its environmental, economic and social sustainability more generally.
Key Points:
- The wine industry has faced criticism over its environmental, economic and social sustainability more generally.
- which have the greatest potential to drive much needed systemic change to improve sustainability across the wine industry.
Bottling grapes
- Conventional wine production is not inherently sustainable, degrading land, water and air while reinforcing social injustices and inequity.
- Less visible are the social injustices experienced by many of the critical migrant workers employed during the grape harvest.
- In the 2023 harvest, two human trafficking investigations were launched in Champagne.
Growing actions
- Both small and large producers in the U.S., France, and New Zealand are using lighter bottles to reduce their environmental impact and save money.
- Alternatives to glass bottles with lower carbon footprints do exist, including bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), paper bottles, boxed wine, wine on tap and aluminium cans.
- Unfortunately, customers can be hesitant to buy wine in these alternative formats, perceiving it to be of lower quality.
- Most wine producers employ more conventional grape growing methods, which in many cases are being adapted to create more sustainable practices.
Encouraging sustainability
- However, these efforts to improve sustainability have been uneven and inconsistent, confusing consumers wanting to make an informed decision when purchasing wine.
- Consumers seek easy ways to identify sustainable wine, such as clear visual cues on labels and trustworthy sustainability certifications.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.