SWR Action Area Update: How can we compare wine sustainability standards?

In this Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) Member Interview podcast Hanna Halmari speaks with Jody Bogle, vice president of consumer relations at Bogle Family Vineyards. They discuss Bogle’s new wine label, Element[AL] that launched earlier this year. The wine comes in a first-of-its-kind aluminium wine bottle - not a can, but a full-size wine bottle. Jody shares why they chose aluminum, what the process from inception to bottling looked like, and insights on consumer perceptions and marketing.

The SWR recently launched the Sustainable Viticulture Protocol. The protocol is a shared set of steps that aims to reorient viticulture practices, with an emphasis on the reduction of chemical inputs and the adoption of regenerative techniques. In case you missed the launch or you're short on time, you can listen to this podcast for a quick update on the protocol. Toby Webb, founder and executive director of the SWR, and director of research and standards Dr Peter Stanbury share the context behind the protocol, what we're trying to achieve, and next steps.

There are over 40 wine sustainability standards around the world. This is understandable given the fact that sustainability in wine is so context dependent. It’s also incredibly confusing. With so much variability, how can you assess how these certifications and standards compare against each other? This is where the SWR ‘Global Reference Framework’ (GRF) comes in. As the first global statement of what sustainability means in the wine sector, the GRF is a tool which will enable transparent benchmarking of wine sustainability standards around the world. A pilot benchmarking of 6 standards is currently underway, with the aim to test the applicability of the GRF and the scoring matrix. In this short podcast Toby Webb, founder and executive director of the SWR, and director of research and standards Dr Peter Stanbury share the latest updates on the standards benchmarking project and future plans.

Sustainable Viticulture Protocol Launch Webinar On July 9th, the Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) proudly unveiled the ‘SWR Sustainable Viticulture Protocol’ to an enthusiastic virtual audience of wine professionals. The webinar launch was moderated by Dr. Peter Stanbury, Research Director, SWR, who introduced the protocol and its objectives. Environmental practices in the vineyard, particularly the use of chemicals like herbicides, fungicides, and fertilisers, are critical issues in wine sustainability. While organic and biodynamic methods have gained popularity for their reduced chemical use, they are not the only paths to achieving sustainability. Our new protocol seeks to reorient viticulture practices, emphasising the reduction of chemical inputs and the adoption of regenerative techniques. The development of the Sustainable Viticulture Protocol stems from a year’s worth of dedicated work focused on addressing the sustainable use of vineyard chemicals supported by SWR members Treasury Wine Estates (USA), Ste. Michelle Wine Estates (USA), VSPT Wine Group (Chile), Cloudy Bay (New Zealand), and Hochschule Geinsenheim University (Germany). This protocol is not merely about reducing chemical usage but also about reshaping viticulture practices to inherently require fewer chemical inputs. It builds on the success of the Bottle Weight Accord, which has driven significant industry-wide action towards reducing bottle weight. Read more here.

Reducing wine bottle weight is a no-brainer: The bottle makes up almost half of wine's total carbon footprint, and it's an opportunity for the sector to demonstrate real change in its environmental impact and carbon reduction. Last autumn the SWR developed the Bottle Weight Accord (BWA) in which signatories around the world committed to reducing their average bottle weight to below 420g by the end of 2026. At the time of launch, the BWA had 13 participants, primarily consisting of retailers. Now, six months later, the number of participants has grown to 19, with numerous producers in the mix.  In this short podcast Toby Webb, founder and executive director of the SWR, and director of research and standards Dr Peter Stanbury, provide a brief update on the Accord and the progress made so far. They reflect on the easy wins, the biggest challenges, the trade-offs that need to be addressed, and more. You can read more about the Accord and how to get involved here.

At the end of May 2024, we marked the six-month anniversary of the SWR Bottle Weight Accord’s release with a reflective webinar. We discussed the progress and future of the Bottle Weight Accord, highlighting the advancements made, stories and experiences of our members, and our vision for the next phase of the Accord. Discover how the Accord is evolving to include both retailers and producers, expanding geographically, and fostering critical conversations around implementation. Speakers: Simon Mason, Head of Wine Sustainability & Due Diligence, The Wine Society Emily Revell, Purpose & Sustainability Manager, Virgin Wines Nicolas Daspres, Technical Director, Terra Vitis Moderator: Dr. Peter Stanbury, Research Director, Sustainable Wine Roundtable

In this short podcast Toby Webb, founder of the SWR, and head of research Dr Peter Stanbury provide a quick update on the work the SWR is doing in the sustainable viticulture space. Organic and biodynamic approaches aren't necessarily always possible or the best way forward for all vineyards, given factors such as weather conditions, terroir, and rainfall. The SWR is busy trying to understand what a principle-based approach to sustainable viticulture could look like and how we can move towards regenerative vineyards. Listen to the podcast to find out more.  

In this Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) Member Interview podcast Hanna Halmari speaks with Anne Laure Ferroir, director at Terra Vitis, and Morgane Le Breton, co-manager at Maison Le Breton. They discuss how eco-design is evolving in France, with a particular focus on light-weighting bottles and alternative packaging formats. Morgane shares how Maison Le Breton is approaching sustainable packaging, and Anne-Laure reflects on the initiatives she's seeing across Terra Vitis members. 

In this Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) Member Interview podcast Hanna Halmari speaks with Emily Brighton MW, head of technical at North South Wines, the first UK wine distributor to receive B Corp accreditation. Emily achieved her Master of Wine title earlier this year, for which she wrote a research paper investigating the impact of B Corp certification on wine distributors. In this podcast they discuss the main findings of Emily's research and the key learnings and insights for others working towards becoming a B Corp. You can find Emily's research paper here.

One of the key pillars of the Sustainable Wine Roundtable is to help raise the quality of information and understanding of what sustainability is in wine. The Global Reference Framework (GRF) aims to do exactly that, and in this short podcast Toby Webb, founder of the SWR, and head of research Dr Peter Stanbury provide a quick update on the workstream.  With over 70 sustainability standards globally relevant to the wine industry, the GRF aims to enable a transparent cross-comparison of all of these existing standards. Peter and Toby discuss the progress made so far, how they've ensured a robust process throughout, the impact they want to see a year from now, and what's next. This podcast is the second in a series of brief SWR action area updates we'll be publishing this month.