Faced with the challenges of climate change, wineries are presented with the opportunity to engage in environmental management strategies that emphasize resource conservation and recycling. Adopting this altered operational approach can be beneficial for the wine industry. Proactive environmental management by wineries not only leads to cost reductions and aids in ecological preservation, thereby fostering the industry's sustainability in their respective regions, but it also provides an opportunity to stand out in the market, potentially offering a competitive advantage. The central objective of this research is to investigate a variety of practices that wineries can employ for effective environmental management. Through an extensive multi-case study, the research successfully identifies 10 key practices that wineries can implement to improve their environmental responsibility and positively influence their local ecosystems.
TopIntroduction
There is an increasing consensus in the scientific community that the ways in which we currently produce and consume energy are significant contributors to global climate change. This phenomenon, as Tziperman (2022) notes, has far-reaching effects on both terrestrial and socioeconomic systems. Climate change is associated with serious consequences, including the looming scarcity of drinkable water, profound changes in food production conditions, and a rise in mortality rates due to natural disasters like floods, storms, droughts, and heatwaves. Hence, climate change is not only an environmental concern but also has deep economic and social ramifications, as Herndon and Whiteside (2019) have discussed.
The agriculture sector, particularly the wine industry, is highly vulnerable to climate variability, as Venios et al. (2020) point out. The specific environmental conditions required for wine production mean that changes such as increased temperatures or decreased rainfall can significantly affect vineyards. Wine production, which involves either full or partial fermentation of fresh grapes or grape juice, is dependent on complex biological and biochemical processes, primarily involving yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, as noted by Fleet (2003). Temperature variations can significantly impact grape ripening: cooler temperatures may result in under-ripened grapes characterized by high acidity, low sugar, and underdeveloped flavors, while warmer temperatures can lead to over-ripened fruits with reduced acidity and increased sugar and alcohol levels, as Holland and Smit (2010) have described. The vine's ability to adapt to these climatic changes depends on various factors, including inherent characteristics like grape variety and external factors such as agricultural practices and specific wine production techniques, as highlighted by Scrimgeour et al. (2015).
Contrary to common perception, vine cultivation and wine production are not environmentally neutral processes. Consequently, the wine industry needs to modify its cultivation and winemaking processes to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, thereby contributing to environmental improvement. With the pressing challenge of climate change, wine producers and winery managers are compelled to consider various adaptation and mitigation strategies in the short term to maintain the quality, identity, and profitability of wines, as Merloni et al. (2018) have emphasized. Therefore, it is crucial for wine-producing countries to enhance environmental management in their wineries to counteract the negative effects of climate change.
Spain, being one of the top wine-producing nations and the third-largest producer globally, with a production of 3,930 million liters in 2016 (14.70% of the world's production), only behind France and Italy, plays a significant role in this regard. This production level was noted by Anderson et al. (2017), who also highlighted the average global wine consumption between 2010 and 2016 as 3.4 liters per person per year.
The industrialization of the agricultural and food system since the mid-20th century's green revolution has notably increased productivity. However, this development has also made the agri-food industry one of the most energy and resource-intensive sectors, contributing significantly to global environmental issues, as Zanin et al. (2019) have observed. In recent years, there has been a growing consumer awareness of the environmental impacts of food production, leading to societal pressure on government agencies to implement measures reducing the harmful effects of human activities on the environment.
The objective of this research is to identify the best environmental management practices developed by wineries to proactively mitigate the effects of global warming. This study is intended to serve as a guide for wineries increasingly recognizing the importance of environmental protection in their operations, thereby contributing to the sector's overall sustainability through scalable effects. Achieving this is challenging due to factors such as a lack of awareness, reluctance to act, barriers related to the unfamiliarity with applicable techniques and their reliability, and the high costs associated with implementing certain practices. This research builds upon previous academic literature addressing the significance of environmental management in the wine industry, as extensively covered by Marco-Lara et al. (2022a-l) and Martínez-Falcó et al. (2023a-b).