Why Investing In Your Supply Chain is Crucial to Business in 2025: The Wine Society

From bottles to biodiversity! Welcome to Sustainability Solved! In this episode, hosts Will and Charlie dive into the fascinating world of wine and sustainability with Dom De Ville from the Wine Society. First set up in 1874 by a bunch of people who wanted to pay a fair price for their booze, the Wine Society is leading the charge in tackling supply chain emissions, improving agricultural practices, and supporting winemakers across the globe. If you're curious about Scope 3 emissions, regenerative viticulture, and innovative approaches to sustainability, this episode is for you.Join the Sustainability Solved Hub to collaborate, ask questions, and share insights.Case Study FormatProblemThe wine industry faces mounting sustainability challenges:Scope 3 Emissions: 94% of the Wine Society's carbon footprint comes from their supply chain, particularly in wine production, glass bottle manufacturing, and shipping.Climate Change: Extreme weather patterns, droughts, and floods are threatening vineyards worldwide.Human Rights Risks: Reliance on seasonal, often migrant, labour raises ethical concerns.Biodiversity Loss: Conventional farming practices, such as pesticide and herbicide use, degrade soil and ecosystems.Solutions Investing in Suppliers (Insetting):Instead of traditional carbon offsets, the Wine Society invests directly in their growers through a Climate and Nature Fund. This supports projects like regenerative farming and reforestation.Examples include hydro-seeding trials, agroforestry initiatives, and providing seed money for transitioning to regenerative viticulture. Reducing Glass Bottle Emissions:The Wine Society collaborated with 12 retailers through the Bottle Weight Accord to reduce bottle weights by 2027, significantly lowering emissions. Regenerative Agriculture:Encouraging natural solutions, such as planting cover crops, using sheep for natural fertilisation, and avoiding soil tillage to preserve carbon stores. Collaboration:Active involvement in the Sustainable Wine Roundtable and the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation to share knowledge and best practices across the industry. Producers Making a Difference:Highlighting sustainable suppliers on their website to incentivise greener practices and reward innovation.ResultsDirect investment of £65,000 per year into supply chain projects, supporting growers in transitioning to more sustainable practices.A unified industry effort to reduce glass bottle weights, potentially transforming the carbon footprint of millions of bottles annually.Positive relationships with suppliers, fostering long-term partnerships and encouraging sustainable innovation.TakeawaysPay a Fair Price: Sustainability in supply chains requires investment and fair compensation for producers.Insetting Over Offsetting: Direct investment in suppliers creates measurable, on-the-ground impact while improving relationships.Collaboration is Key: Solving sustainability challenges requires industry-wide cooperation and shared solutions.Regenerative Practices Work: Nature-based approaches not only improve biodiversity but also increase resilience to climate change.ResourcesThe Wine Society: thewinesociety.comSustainable Wine Roundtable: An industry forum driving collaborative change: https://swroundtable.org/Regenerative Viticulture Foundation: Supporting growers in adopting sustainable, regenerative practices https://www.regenerativeviticulture.org/Producers Making a Difference: Explore sustainable winemakers on the Wine Society's website: https://www.thewinesociety.com/buy/wines/producers-making-a-difference/Me and White Supremacy by Layla SaadMinistry for the future by Kim Stanley RobinsonGreen Element Group is an environmental management consultancy offering a range of bespoke sustainability services, products, and resources to accelerate the just transition to a stable climate. The Group consists of Green Element Limited, Compare Your Footprint Limited, and Sustainability Solved Podcast and Resource Hub.Find out more about Green Element Group here and benefit from a 20% discount on the first year of subscription to Compare Your Footprint, the highest quality carbon footprint software for your organisation. When registering, click ‘Got a Coupon’ and enter code ‘PODCAST‘ to claim discount.SponsorsThis episode is brought to you by Business Declares, a network inspiring businesses to address the climate, ecological, and social emergency. Learn more at Business Declares.CreditsHosts: Will Richardson, Charlie LuxtonProduction: SoundquakeExec-Producer: Sam Hamilton-TurnerProducer: Jake Lee-SavageFor questions or feedback, email us at [email protected] in next time for more stories on sustainability and business innovation!Mentioned in this episode:Climate Transition that WorksDon't stop at carbon measurement. Go from insight to action with 51toCarbonZero. Measure & Report Effortlessly gauge your impact: swift and precise carbon footprint and ESG measurement. Transition Navigate towards net-zero and your impact goals: set accountable plans and governance. Engagement Inspire your stakeholders: the board, colleagues, suppliers, clients and investors More Than a Platform: Your Strategic Sustainability Partner Embark on your net-zero and sustainability journey with confidence with 51toCarbonZero. We go beyond providing a platform; with Climate Unlimited™, our expert advisory service, we ensure simplicity every step of the way. See us as an extension to your team; guiding you through the measurement process, charting your net-zero path, obtaining disclosures, engaging your stakeholders, consulting on complex climate subjects as well as addressing any questions that arise. 51-0