Industry Committed to World Class Sustainability

19 March 2007

New Zealand Wine Industry Committed to World Class Sustainability Programme

* Sustainability policy aims for the entire industry to be operating sustainably within five years.

* Policy builds on more than a decade’s experience.

* Sustainability is seen as the ‘passport to trade’.

New Zealand Winegrowers has issued a draft sustainability policy position to grape growers and winemakers that aims to have all New Zealand grapes and wine produced under independently-audited sustainability schemes by vintage 2012.

New Zealand Winegrowers’ CEO, Philip Gregan, believes that sustainability is a key long term strategic issue for on-going success of the industry.

“We believe sustainability will be the passport to trade. Our view is that if growers and wineries are not able to produce and market wine sustainably then ultimately there will be no place for them in the international market.”

Mr Gregan said he believed the industry was well positioned to meet the sustainability target.

“We already have more than a decade’s in-depth experience with sustainability issues. We have built the industry standard for sustainability - Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) - over the past 13 years to the point where more than 60 per cent of the total vineyard area is managed under SWNZ rules and wineries in the programme account for around 70 per cent of wine production.

“In addition, we have funded a wide range of research into sustainable production methods, and were a key player in the development of the BioGro organic grape and wine standard,” Mr Gregan said.

The draft policy position follows an international review of SWNZ. The Review examined sustainability in general and also looked at the performance of the SWNZ scheme. The Review confirmed the importance of sustainability issues, and areas of strengths and weaknesses in the SWNZ progamme.

“The Review consulted widely in the industry on the best way to move forward into the future. As a result New Zealand Winegrowers believes now is the time to take the industry to a new level of commitment to, and practice of, sustainability.”

“The proposed 2012 target is just one part of the integrated response to the Review. There are a number of other key milestones including a requirement for audited participation in a sustainability scheme if wines are to participate in New Zealand Winegrowers global marketing programme from vintage 2010.

“We are also committed to on-going restructuring of the SWNZ scheme to ensure it continues to be a world class leader in the sustainability field,” Mr Gregan said.

Wineries and growers are being asked to comment on the proposal by mid-April. New Zealand Winegrowers is planning to implement the confirmed policy position for the start of the new financial year on 1 July 2007.

ENDS

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