What drives environmental sustainability in the New Zealand wine industry?

Abstract

PurposeWhile global wine consumption is growing, environmental sustainability in the wine industry is also receiving increased attention from retailers, governments, environmental groups, and consumers. New Zealand has experienced a winery boom over the past two decades with a 173 per cent increase in the number of wineries. Along with this growth, wineries are also facing issues such as water consumption, its impact on community, and waste management. The study therefore seeks to examine: the current sustainability initiatives undertaken by wineries; what drives the wine industry to engage in sustainable practices; and barriers to implementing sustainable practices.Design/methodology/approachUsing a mixed method research approach, this study uses a triangulated approach to examine interviews and questionnaires to determine motivations and elements of influence.FindingsThis study found that the strong drivers for the sustainability initiatives are their concern about the state of the environment and social responsibility, followed by requirements for exporting and protection of agricultural land.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation of this study was a low response rate from the online questionnaire, which may influence or bias study results. However, detailed face‐to‐face interviews help to gain clarification on concepts and study results.Practical implicationsWhile global wine consumption is growing, environmental sustainability in the wine industry is also receiving increasing attention from retailers, governments, environmental groups and consumers. New Zealand has experienced a winery boom over the past two decades with a 173 per cent increase in the number of wineries. Along with this growth, wineries are also facing issues such as water consumption, its impact on community, and waste management.Originality/valueAlthough there are many studies about the wine industry, relatively few studies have examined sustainability elements from a mixed‐method approach to determine practical elements which may influence practices undertaken. It also examines practices undertaken by wineries, barriers to implementation and incentives to further implementation.

Environmental Proactivity and Environmental and Economic Performance: Evidence from the Winery Sector

“…These studies have focused on the factors leading to the adoption of an environmental management system (EMS) (e.g., [53,54]) or have examined subjects relating to consumer perceptions, brand image, or eco-labelling or eco-branding product differentiation strategies (e.g., [55,56]). Authors such as Atkin et al [23] go even further and attempt to confirm links between the adoption of an EMS and entrepreneurship in wineries, but are unable to link this adoption with any cost reduction.…”

Critical remarks on the governance of sustainability: On the institutional framework of standards

“…Of the 71 different groups of indicators, the SMART framework (Schader et al, )—an internal evaluation tool for sustainability assessment—had the broadest coverage (40 indicators). At the other end of the spectrum, the label “sustainable wine growing New Zealand” (Dodds, Graci, Ko, & Walker, ) required, beyond following legal standards, only the criterion that staff were provided with training and education.…”

Meio ambiente e estratégia: um estudo multicaso no Setor Vitivinícola da Região Central do Rio Grande do Sul sob a perspectiva da teoria institucional

“…Entende-se, a partir o exposto, que as três vinícolas objetos de estudo situadas na região central do Estado podem ser caracterizadas como organizações que, ao mesmo tempo em que sofrem pressões do ambiente institucional na forma de legislações ambientais e de certificações de qualidade estabelecidas pelas associações do setor e pelas requisições dos consumidores por produtos ambientalmente corretos, utilizam seu poder de agência para responder às pressões de acordo com seus interesses e objetivos (WENDLER, 2009;FLINT e GOLICIC, 2009, DODDS et al 2007, SINHA E AKORIEE, 2010, FORBES et al 2010, CHRIST e BURRITT, 2013.…”

“…Nesse contexto, legisladores, associações de setor e a sociedade civil, atuando de maneira interdependente, desenvolvem suas leis e normas com o intuito de guiar a expansão do setor vitivinícola em direção a um caminho que não agrida o meio ambiente. No entanto, no Brasil, a inserção da gestão sustentável nos processos organizacionais ainda é recente e não acontece em iguais proporções entre os setores, porque a demanda dos constituintes pode variar de acordo com o setor, o mercado e a localização da empresa (BA-RATA, 2007apud CALLADO, 2010SZOLNOCKI, 2013;DODDS et al 2007).…”

“…Delimitou-se como segunda pressão ambiental a crescente adoção do certificado ISO 14001:2004 por vinícolas brasileiras, tais como a vinícola Almadén e Aurora, e também por viní-colas internacionais (FLINT E GOLICIC, 2009, DODDS et al 2007, MIOLO WINEGROUP, 2009VINI-COLA AURORA, 2006;HUGHEY, TAIT E CONNEL, 2005). Segundo a classificação de Scott (2008), essa pressão pode ser caracterizada como de ordem normativa, porque o crescente compartilhamento da referida certificação dentro da indústria vitivinícola abre espaço para que ocorra uma distinção entre vinícolas certificadas, que adquirem maior credibilidade frente ao mercado e à sociedade, e aquelas não certificadas e, portanto, menos creditadas e reconhecidas.…”