Australia’s Federal Government has invested $435,000 into a grape and wine carbon emissions project as part of the National Agricultural Traceability Grants Program. The South Australian government has provided an additional $50,000 towards the project through its investment attraction agency Invest SA.
The Tracing Carbon Emissions in an International Wine Industry Value Chain between Australia and Singapore project hopes to provide a platform through which Australia’s wine exporters can improve upon sustainability and hence upon Australia’s overarching provenance, whilst also generating valuable insights for stakeholders. The Deputy Secretary of Agricultural Trade and Regulation Group Tina Hutchison described it as “vital work to grow new and existing markets and build confidence in Australian products that are safe, sustainable, and traced through all stages of production.
“My huge congratulations to the successful applicants. These grant recipients are now working to significantly advance our traceability efforts in Southeast Asia,” she said.
As suggested by its name, the project will focus on tracing carbon emissions along the supply chain between Australia and Singapore, thus providing strong potential to improve the competitiveness of, and trust in, Australian wine in Singapore and other Southeast Asian export markets.
According to Australian Grape & Wine’s Chief Executive Lee McLean, “the project will not only establish robust traceability credentials for Australian wine but it will build capacity within the sector, putting Australian wine producers on the front foot when it comes to dealing with emerging global sustainability and climate reporting standards.”
Once in motion, Australian Grape & Wine will work with a consortium of partners and advisors, listed below, in the development of a secure data exchange platform along with the development of a range of tools and resources to enable effective monitoring and evaluation of the emissions involved in getting a product to market.
A spokesperson for Sustainion by Turnkey, one of the leading partners of the project, believes “doing this will enhance the competitiveness of sustainably grown and produced Australian wines in the international market. This helps Australian wine producers and growers optimise their supply chains from a carbon emissions perspective, thus demonstrating Australia’s and Singapore’s commitment to addressing carbon emissions at an international crossborder scale.”
Another stakeholder, Amazon Web Services, is hoping that partaking in the project will help it gather a better understanding of how digital technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence and Generative Artificial Intelligence, can sustainably transform Australia’s wine sector.
“Innovation is key to achieving sustainability goals, as is digital technologies which can help organisations overcome challenges such as value chain traceability and decarbonisation of supply chains,” said a spokesperson for Amazon Web Services.
In addition to Sustainion by Turnkey and Amazon Web Services, Australian Grape & Wine’s project will be supported by a consortium of partners and investors including the South Australian Government, More than Machines, Wine Australia, Hill-Smith Wine Estates and Treasury Wine Estates.
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