Sustainable Wine Roundtable launched in London

The newly established organisation, Sustainable Wine Roundtable, hosted its first gathering in London on Wednesday.

Treasury Wine Estates and The Australian Wine Research Institute are the only two Australian of founding members of the initial 40.

The Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) is a unique coalition of leading wine brands, small producers, distributors, retailers, environmental organisations, and others – all joined in their determination to make the wine sector a sustainability leader.

TWE’s Chief Corporate Services Officer, Kirsten Gray said:

“We recognise the impact of climate change which is why we’re taking action now ahead of reaching net zero carbon emissions for our scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030.

“As a global wine leader, we want to share our insights so that together the industry can set the benchmark for sustainable practices. We expect to actively contribute to the Sustainable Wine Roundtable and help build a global wine sustainability standard to cultivate a better future.”

The organisation's vision to support the international wine community to create a world where high quality wine is produced, traded, and consumed in ways that conserve and regenerate ecosystems, protect human rights, foster equality and inclusion, and generate prosperity, pride and passion for excellence.

Richard Bampfield MW, the roundtable’s initial chair, said, “There are many innovative programs and projects to make vineyards and wineries more environmentally friendly and socially just. Our aim is to bring them together, generating the clarity, cohesion and collaboration necessary for the wine sector to establish itself as a leader on the world sustainability stage.”

“We invite everyone in the wine community to join us,” Bampfield added, noting that the SWR will be open to general membership in 2022.

From drought to flooding, from rising temperatures and increased wildfires and social pressures around workers’ rights and diversity, the wine industry, like any other, has significant issues to tackle to ensure resilience, keep up with customer demands, and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Building on the many local sustainability standards for wine, the SWR will develop a global reference standard clarifying the wine community’s consensus on exactly what sustainability means and how it is implemented and measured.

The intention is that this will provide clear guidance on how to get vineyards and wineries on the sustainability pathway and help retailers and consumers simplify various eco-labels and claims.

The SWR is convening working groups to develop best practice and tools on substantive sustainability issues, raise awareness, connect industry actors, and advocate for the wine community globally as a force for good in the world.