A coalition of leading wine brands, small producers, distributors, retailers and environmental organisations has been created to accelerate sustainable action in the wine industry.

The international wine community has come together to fight climate change, with the aim to create a global standard on sustainability in the industry.

The Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) will build on regional sustainability certifications to develop a consensus on what sustainability means, how it is implemented and measured.

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

Members will raise awareness of key sustainability issues and develop practices to address them. Droughts, flooding, rising temperatures, wildfires and social pressure around workers’ rights and diversity are some of the key areas to be addressed.

The second wine farm in South Africa to convert to solar power, Journey’s End Vineyards has become one of the 49 founding members of the new sustainable initiative.

Rollo Gabb, Managing Director of Journey’s End Vineyards said: “Coming together as a group with an aim of defining what sustainability means for the wine industry, in theory and in practice, represents a major step towards safeguarding the future of wine production and consumption, globally. We are proud to be founding members of this highly progressive collaboration.”

The SWR’s work will provide clear guidance on how to get vineyards and wineries on the sustainability pathway and help retailers and consumers engage with and understand eco-labels and green claims.

The UK-based SWR is launching with 49 founding members: Ahold Delhaize, Alko, Alliance Wine, Amfori, Amorim Cork, BLB Vignobles, British Glass, BSI, Catena Institute of Wine, Château Léoube, Cloudy Bay, Concha y Toro, Conseil Interprofessional du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB), Diversity in Food and Beverage, Domaine Bousquet, Dr. Loosen, Enotria & Coe, Equalitas, Famille Perrin, Fish Friendly Farming, Food Alliance, Grupo Avinea, Hochschule Geisenheim University, International Wineries for Climate Action, JancisRobinson.com, Journey’s End Vineyards, Lidl GB, Napa Green, New York Wine & Grape Foundation, North South Wines, Preferred by Nature, Ramón Bilbao, Schenk Group, Ste Michelle Wine Estates, Sustainable Agriculture Network, Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, Sustainable Winegrowing British Columbia, Systembolaget, The Co-op UK, The Fairtrade Foundation, The Porto Protocol,  The Wine Society, Treasury Wine Estates, Vingruppen, Vintage Wine Estates, Waitrose & Partners, Whole Foods Market, Wines of South Africa, WWF South Africa.

Sustainability is a key issue being tackled outside of the wine world as well. Read more on premium vodka brand Belvedere’s plans to power a Polish town with green energy here.