Chilean wine producers look to sustainability

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🗞️ Driving the news: Chilean wine producers have positioned sustainability as a strategic priority, with 90 wineries — representing 80% of bottled wine exports — now certified under the Sustainability Code of Vinos de Chile
• Since its launch in 2011, the voluntary standard has guided producers in addressing environmental, social, and governance challenges across vineyards, production processes, and community engagement
• Industry leaders now see sustainability not just as environmental stewardship but as a competitive advantage in global markets

🔭 The context: Chile’s wine industry began developing its sustainability framework in 2007, formalising it as a public–private initiative by 2011
• The Code was among the first formal, industry-wide sustainability standards in global winemaking, addressing growing consumer demand for ethical and environmentally responsible production
• Chile’s Mediterranean climate and biodiversity are both a strength and a responsibility for its viticulture, which spans over 300,000 acres of planted vineyards, including nearly 15,000 acres organic or biodynamic

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: With climate change threatening water availability, soil health, and biodiversity in key wine-growing regions, initiatives like Chile’s set an important precedent for resilience in agriculture
• Certified wineries are reducing water use, cutting carbon footprints (already averaging 2.53 kg CO₂e per litre), preserving 99,000 acres of native ecosystems, and investing in renewable energy
• By embedding biodiversity, social equity, and circular economy principles, Chile’s approach demonstrates how agricultural industries can align profitability with long-term planetary health

⏭️ What's next: Over the next two decades, Chilean wineries aim to further reduce carbon intensity and water use while expanding regenerative agriculture and biodiversity corridors
• Compliance with Chile’s REP law on packaging waste will accelerate the transition to sustainable materials
• Stakeholders will also watch for how these sustainability commitments translate into international market differentiation and support Chile’s national goal of carbon neutrality by 2050

💬 One quote: “The only way we make premium wines of excellence is by taking care of and protecting our land and people" — Julio Alonso, Wines of Chile’s North America executive director

📈 One stat: Certified wineries preserve 99,000 acres of non-productive land for biodiversity — almost seven times the area of Manhattan

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