Allison JordanExecutive Director

Agenda

• CA Sustainable Winegrowing Program background

• Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing

• Lessons Learned

Sustainable Winegrowing

Growing and winemaking practices that are sensitive to the Environment, responsive to the needs and interests of society-at-large (social Equity), and Economically feasible to implement and maintain = 3 E’s or Triple Bottom Line

“Future Generations”

What is Sustainable Winegrowing?

Sustainable Winegrowing practices: • conserve water and energy • maintain healthy soil • reduce pesticide use • preserve wildlife habitat • protect air and water quality • recycle natural resources • enhance relations with employees and

neighbors• attain highest wine quality possible

Sustainability is a Direction, Not a Destination

• Serves as compass for using resources more efficiently

• Wineries and vineyards determine how fast and how far they want to go

• A process of continuous improvement

• Partnership between Wine Institute & California Association of Winegrape Growers (started in 2002)

• Comprehensive self-assessment workbook• Partners with regional associations,

government agencies, universities & NGOs• Hosts educational workshops throughout CA• Publicly reports on adoption of practices

California Sustainable Winegrowing Program

Sustainable Winegrowing Workbook Topics

• Viticulture• Soil Management• Vineyard Water Management• Pest Management• Wine Quality• Ecosystem Management • Energy Efficiency• Winery Water Conservation & Quality• Material Handling• Solid Waste Reduction & Management• Environmentally Preferred Purchasing• Human Resources• Neighbors & Communities• Air Quality

SWP Workbook Framework

227 Criteria with Four Categories of Practices

SWP Participation2002-Present

• SWP Self-Assessment (200 workshops)– 1,566 vineyard and winery organizations

(1,851 individual participants) – >358K acres of winegrapes (68%) and

150 million cases of wine (62%)

• SWP Targeted Education (184 workshops)– 9,240 attendees*

(*some participants have attended more than one

workshop)

Sustainability Reports

www.sustainablewinegrowing.org

Launched in January 2010

Enables wineries and vineyards to communicate their commitment to:– environmental stewardship– conservation of natural resources– socially responsible business practices

Cycle of Continuous Improvement

3rd Party Verification of the Cycle

Certification Goals

• Maintain California’s global leadership position

• Provide voluntary third-party verification option

• Enhance transparency and credibility with key stakeholders including regulators, trade, environmental organizations, media and consumers

• Encourage statewide participation

• Advance entire California industry toward best practices

Certification Requirements

• Annual SWP Self-Assessment (S-A)

• Demonstrate accuracy of S-A during third-party audit

• Meet all 58 prerequisites by scoring a 2 or higher, or having an action plan in place to improve performance

• Determine significant impacts & prioritize areas for improvement

• Establish, implement & update Action Plans annually

• Demonstrate continuous improvement: Maintain or improve S-A scores

Certification Prerequisites

3 Levels of Stringency:

• Must score Category 2 or above (5 criteria)

• Must have action plan if score Category 1 with one-year timeline (39 criteria)

• Must have action plan if score Category 1 with no timeline (14 criteria)

• Certificate for proof of certification (gatekeepers)

• CCSW Certification logo on company websites, promotional materials, and secondary packaging – accompanied by:– Claim statement E.g. “Acme Winery is Certified California

Sustainable Winegrowing”

• List of certified wineries and vineyards on CSWA website and to share with media, trade and consumers

• Up-to-date certification information and guidelines on CSWA website to ensure transparency

Communicating Certification

www.sustainablewinegrowing.org

Related CSWA Projects

Industry-Wide Sustainability Targets• Identify performance-based metrics • Collect relevant data from SWP participants• Establish industry baselines• Eventually set industry targets to measure and

communicate industry-wide improvements

CA Wine Community Sustainability Awards• Develop competitive award program to • acknowledge leaders in sustainable winegrowing• Help communicate the sustainability story• Develop relevant public relations campaign

Lessons Learned• Allow time to get buy-in of industry and stakeholders

• Understand the goal of certification: buoy entire industry vs. recognize a few – will help you select type

• Know your audience

• Think about internal and external communications from the start

• Understand (and partner with?) similar programs

Questions?

info@sustainablewinegrowing.org

www.sustainablewinegrowing.org