As you’re driving through the Napa Valley do the bright green “Napa Green Certified” signs ever catch your eye and you wonder, “What does that mean?” or “Does that really mean anything?” It does. The Napa Green nonprofit sets the highest standards for sustainability and climate action in the global wine industry. However, “sustainability” has become a fraught word. It’s vague, it’s amorphous, it’s overused, it’s misused. Many now ask, “Does sustainability really mean anything?”

For this reason, back in 2021 Napa Green established the “Six Pillars of Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership.” The Six Pillars are: I. Water Efficiency & Savings; II. Energy Efficiency & Savings; III. Waste Prevention & Supply Chain; IV. Proactive Farming, Soil Health & Biodiversity; V. Social Justice, Diversity & Inclusion; all under the umbrella of VI. Climate Action & Regenerative Agriculture. Essentially, Napa Green has created two intersecting leadership roadmaps that encompass these Six Pillars, with >100 leading Vineyard practices, and >120 leading Winery practices that growers and vintners have to implement (and be third-party audited) to swing that green metal sign.

Napa Green emphatically believes that a whole-systems approach from the farm, through production, to the people that make it all possible, is critical to meaningful climate action and impact. We see the Six Pillars as a filter that can be used to evaluate any business or organizational claims of sustainability and ask, “Are they really leaders? Are they really taking a whole-systems approach?”

You Mean Organic?

When we talk about sustainable farming or agriculture most people think of organic farming. We will delve into this in more detail in another feature, but if you think about the Six Pillars and a whole-systems approach, not using synthetic pesticides or herbicides, while valuable, is just one small piece of a much bigger puzzle. In terms of environmental stewardship, organic only relates to farming, and focuses on a narrow “don’t,” without addressing broader “dos” of resource use efficiency, climate action, and social equity. Napa Green Vineyard certification includes Prohibited & Restricted Pesticides, including a requirement that members phaseout Roundup/glyphosate-based products by January 1, 2026, and all synthetic herbicides by January 1, 2028, but again this is only one of six elements that certified growers have to address.

What is Climate Action?

Climate action refers to choices that reduce emissions (like using less energy and fuel), drawdown or sequester/store carbon (like compost and cover crops), and cultivate healthy ecosystems more resilient to weather extremes including drought, high heat, and atmospheric rivers. Almost all Napa Green certification standards relate to climate action.

For instance, the Napa Green “Social Justice, Diversity & Inclusion” standards include living wage, benefits, education and opportunities for advancement to help ensure that employees feel safe, secure, and listened to. This is foundational to building engaged and empowered teams that contribute to growing climate-smart businesses. 

Napa Green growers implement “Carbon Farm Plans,” custom-developed for them by the Napa Green vineyard team. These plans layout opportunities to build soil health, store carbon, and cultivate more resilient vineyards such as reduced tillage/tractor passes, expanded cover crops that can attract beneficial insects, reduced fertilizer use, planting hedgerows that can provide habitat for natural predators like bluebirds and raptors, bringing in sheep as natural lawnmowers and fertilizers.

Napa Green vintners reduce water use, which reduces the energy needed to transport, heat and treat that water, which reduces emissions. They also “green” their packaging, such as eliminating Styrofoam and opportunities like lightening glass bottles (reduced emissions to manufacture and transport), shifting from wood boxes to lighter and recyclable cardboard, and using natural corks instead of non-recyclable screwcaps and plastic closures.

This is a quick introduction to the Napa Green Vineyard and Winery certifications. We look forward to sharing more and spotlighting leadership stories in these monthly features. Here are a few testimonials from our members about what they get out of being Napa Green: