To certify or not to certify: A qualitative investigation into producer sentiments surrounding sustainability certifications in the Spanish wine industry

Abstract

As the popularity of sustainably-produced wines continues to grow, wine producers are seeking to market sustainable practices through certification schemes, in order to gain advantage in the competitive global wine industry. Though Spain contains the largest amount of land dedicated to vine growing globally and is home to over 4,300 wineries, the Spanish wine industry only has one industry-specific sustainability certification scheme, Wineries for Climate Protection, of which a mere 23 wineries are certified. In an attempt to explain this, as well as to contribute to the lacking literature on sustainability certifications in the wine industry, this paper introduces an investigation into the efficacy and producer comprehensibility of sustainability certifications. Through semi-structured interviews with eight professionals representing Spanish wineries both certified and non-certified through WfCP, this paper examines the factors that either encourage or inhibit producers from labelling their wines as sustainable, as well as questions the environmental commitment of certified wineries. The study found an emphasis on the financial benefits that certification can bring to a winery, with little priority given to a winery’s environmental commitment. Additionally, the data suggested the exclusion of small-production wineries from the apparent benefits of certification. This paper argues the inadequacy of sustainability certification schemes in the Spanish wine industry and emphasizes the need for further research into the creation of environmentally-focused, equally-advantageous sustainability certification schemes in the global wine industry.