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#MembersVoice: #Sustainability #Wine #Equalitas (By Maria Chiara Ferrarese, CSQA Certificazioni, for Equalitas)
During the event of Vinitaly, last April, Equalitas, a society funded by FederDoc, Unione Italiana Vini, Gruppo CSQA – Valoritalia, 3Avino and Gambero Rosso, presented the standard SUSTAINABILITY OF THE WINE-PRODUCING INDUSTRY: ORGANIZATIONS, PRODUCTS, TERRITORIES (in Italian SOSTENIBILITÀ DELLA FILIERA VITIVINICOLA: ORGANIZZAZIONI, PRODOTTI, TERRITORI –SOPT-). It is a voluntary standard, certifiable by third parts qualified by Equalitas.
The SOPT standard defines the sustainability of the wine-producing sector according to three pillars: social, environmental, and economic, providing for each objective verifiable and measurable requirements. The requirements have been defined for each type of operator in the chain and for each pillar: agricultural production, cellar, bottling/packaging practices, social, economic, environmental and communication practices.
The technical and scientific validity of Equalitas’ sustainability standard is supported and endorsed by a Scientific Committee, formed by academics who have been dealing for several years with the wine sector as well as sustainability, and by the private sector, whom intervened in all phases of the preparation, revision and approval process of the standard.
The access to the standard is gradual and provides the application of 100% of the major requirements, 30% of the minor requirements and 10% of the recommendations over the three-year period of validity of the conformity certificate. The environmental indicators have to be all defined within the three-year period.
The ultimate objective of the standard is allowing to the operators of the wine-producing chain to increase their awareness about sustainability and, therefore, to start a continuous improving process (of organizations, processes and products) with respect to the wide definition of economic, environmental, and social sustainability objects, recognized at the international level.
After the conference in Vinitaly, on May 31, the “Consorzio Prosecco Doc” presented SOPT to its members, stating that they are open to consider the option of granting incentives to the ones who will adopt this certification system.
For more information, contact support@equalitas.it
