South Africa retains eco-sustainability leadership

Afrikaans volg onder.

South Africa looks set to maintain its eco-focused global leadership in wine, after last year`s launch of the world`s first industry-wide sustainability seal to guarantee the production integrity of its bottled wines.  

Every seal carries a unique number and is backed by a highly sophisticated tracking system to ensure the contents of the wine bottle to which it is applied can be traced back to source at every stage of the supply chain. The seal is still the only one of its kind worldwide, and has the backing not only of most South African exporters of bottled wines but also the international wine trade.  

According to Wines of South Africa (WOSA) CEO Su Birch, by the end of last year the sustainability seal was already being applied to over 80% of bottled wine exports certified for Wine of Origin.  At the same time, she said, retailers in major export markets had welcomed the initiative as their shoppers were increasingly looking for assurances about the integrity of what they were consuming.   

Now, with the substantial support from producers and the market, the country was preparing to unveil its new sustainability communication campaign targeting consumers. "We want consumers to know that by entering the individual number on every sustainability seal, they can find out what vineyard and cellar practices have been followed in making that wine."

Featuring a video in English and German, a phone app, a new website and brochures, the new campaign is to debut at ProWein, the international wine trade show in Germany at the end of this month (March). It will outline what sustainability entails and will show how simple and quick it is to track any wine bearing the seal throughout its production process.  

"Despite the extensive administrative commitment required by producers to provide proof of their eco-sustainable production at every link in the supply chain from vineyard to bottle, we have had substantial involvement from South African winemakers.  Just a few months after its launch, we had 70% of wine certified in accordance with the Wine of Origin scheme meeting the necessary requirements to carry the sustainability seal. By the end of the year, this had climbed to 83%.  This makes us confident that this year more than 85% of certified bottled wine will display the seal and that by the end of 2012, virtually all if not all certified wine will be able to do so," said Birch.

Birch confirmed that all operators in the chain from growers to suppliers, producers, distributors, exporters and retailers were identifiable in the tracking system.  

"As a result, South African producers have a strong competitive advantage as more and more shoppers throughout the world demand to know more about what they are consuming. Our new campaign shows how effortless it is for consumers to activate the number that appears on every seal to trace a wine to its source. The fun and entertaining tools we are using, explain some of the eco-sustainable steps, highlighting issues such as management of scarce resources like water, integrated pest managements and so on."

The consumer campaign will be unveiled in a special Green Zone on the South African pavilion at this year`s ProWein show in Düsseldorf that is expected to draw over 30 000 members of the wine fraternity from all parts of the world from March 27 to 29. 

The Green Zone will include vertical gardens, a grass lawn and a comfortable lounge area where delegates can sample wines bearing the seal.

Birch said the new campaign was the latest in a range of initiatives which had seen South Africa internationally acknowledged for pioneering eco-responsibility in wine production.  Its IPW set of sustainable wine production principles was regarded as the most progressive of its kind.  Its innovative Biodiversity & Wine Initiative (BWI) had seen more than the equivalent of the national vineyard set aside for conservation to indigenous habitat.  

The country was also using an internationally accredited calculation system created to measure greenhouse gas emissions in wine production. Its light-weight bottle at just 350 grams had been well received by the international market, while South African producers had dominated the inaugural The Drinks Business Green Awards last year and had continued to shine at this year`s awards.

 For further information, visit http://www.swsa.co.za/.   

To see the new sustainability video, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYaG_9OZgkM

DATE                        MARCH 23, 2011

ISSUED BY               DKC (DE KOCK COMMUNICATIONS)

ON BEHALF OF       WINES OF SOUTH AFRICA (WOSA)

QUERIES                   SU BIRCH, CEO, WOSA (021) 883 3860, 082 563 0677

                                    TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC (021) 422 2690, 082 579 2358

SUID-AFRIKA STEEDS VOOR MET EKO-VOLHOUBAARHEID

Die kanse is goed dat Suid-Afrika, wat wyn betref, sy globale eko-voorsprong gaan behou nadat hy verlede jaar die wêreld se eerste volhoubaarheidseël bekend gestel het om die produksie-integriteit van sy gebottelde wyn te waarborg.

Elke seël het `n unieke nommer, en word deur `n uiters gesofistikeerde nasporingstelsel gerugsteun om te verseker dat die inhoud van elke bottel in elke stadium van die voorsieningskanaal na sy oorsprong bron teruggevoer kan word. Dié seël is steeds die enigste van sy soort op die planeet, en geniet nie net die steun van die meeste van Suid-Afrika se uitvoerders van gebottelde wyn nie, maar ook van die internasionale wynhandel.

Volgens Su Birch, die uitvoerende hoof van Wines of South Africa (WOSA), is die volhoubaarheidseël reeds aangebring op meer as 80% van die gebottelde uitvoerwyn wat as Wyn van Oorsprong gesertifiseer word.

Danksy die aansienlike steun van produsente en die mark, berei die land hom voor op die bekendstelling van sy nuwe volhoubaarheid-kommunikasieveldtog, wat hierdie keer verbruikers in sy visier het. "Ons wil hê verbruikers moet weet dat as hulle die individuele nommer op elke volhoubaarheidseël in hul rekenaars of selfone kan insleutel, hulle kan vasstel van watter wingerd dit kom, en watter kelderpraktyke gevolg is om die wyn te maak."

Die nuwe veldtog behels `n video in Engels en Duits, selfoon-programmatuur, asook `n nuwe webwerf en brosjures, en gaan einde vandeesmaand (Maart) by ProWein, die internasionale wynskou vir die handel in Duitsland, bekend gestel word. Dit sal verduidelik wat volhoubaarheid behels, en wys hoe maklik en gou `n mens enige wyn met dié seël op deur sy produksieprosesse kan volg.

"Ondanks die groot administratiewe verpligtinge wat produsente moet aangaan om in elke stadium van die voorsieningskanaal, van die wingerd tot die bottel, bewys van hul eko-volhoubare produksie te lewer, is Suid-Afrikaanse wynmakers sterk betrokke. Net `n klompie maande ná die bekendstelling het 70% van die wyne wat ooreenkomstig die Wyn van Oorsprong-skema gesertifiseer is, aan die vereistes voldoen wat hulle op `n volhoubaarheidseël geregtig gemaak het. Teen die einde van 2010 was dit 83%. Ons is dus vol vertroue dat meer as 85% van alle gesertifiseerde gebottelde= wyn die seël sal toon, en dat feitlik alle gesertifiseerde wyn, of selfs almal, teen die einde van 2012 dit sal kan doen," het Birch gesê.

Birch het bevestig dat alle deelnemers aan die voorsieningsketting, van kwekers tot verskaffers, produsente, verspreiders, uitvoerders en kleinhandelaars, in die naspeurstelsel opgespoor kan word.

"Gevolglik het Suid-Afrikaanse produsente `n sterk mededingingsvoordeel namate al meer kopers wêreldwyd meer wil weet oor wat hulle drink. Ons nuwe veldtog toon hoe maklik dit vir verbruikers is om die nommer op elke seël te benut om die wyn na sy oorsprong terug te voer. Die prettige en vermaaklike werktuie wat ons voorsien, verduidelik stappe in eko-volhoubaarheid en lê die klem op sake soos die bestuur van skaars hulpbronne soos water, geïntegreerde plaagbeheer en so voort."

Die verbruikerveldtog sal bekend gemaak word by `n spesiale Groen Sone in Suid-Afrika se paviljoen by vanjaar se ProWein-uitstalling in Düsseldorf wat na verwagting van 27 tot 29 Maart meer as 30 000 deelnemers aan die wynbedryf gaan lok.

Die Groen Sone gaan `n vertikale tuin, `n grasperk en `n gerieflike luilekkerhoekie insluit waar afgevaardigdes wyne met die seël op sal kan proe.

Birch het gesê die nuwe veldtog is die jongste van verskeie projekte wat tot gevolg gehad het dat Suid-Afrika wêreldwyd erkenning kry vir sy baanbrekerswerk op die gebied van ekoverantwoordelikheid in wynproduksie. Sy volhoubare IPW-produksiebeginsels word as die mees vooruitstrewende van dié aard beskou. Danksy die innoverende Biodiversiteit & Wyn-inisiatief (BWI) word reeds meer as die oppervlakte van al die land se wingerde vir die bewaring van inheemse plantegroei opsy gesit.

Dit land gebruik ook `n internasionaal geakkrediteerde berekeningstelsel wat geskep is om die vrystelling van kweekhuisgasse in die produksie van wyn te meet. Liggewigbottels wat net 350 g weeg, is goed in internasionale markte ontvang, en Suid-Afrikaanse produsente het verlede jaar die heel eerste The Drinks Business Green Awards oorheers, en het weer by vanjaar se toekennings geskitter.

Besoek http://www.swsa.co.za/ vir nadere inligting.

Gaan na  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYaG_9OZgkMom om na die volhoubaarheidsvideo te kyk.

DATUM                                             23 MAART 2011

UITGEREIK DEUR                          DKC (DE KOCK KOMMUNIKASIE)

NAMENS                                           WINES OF SOUTH AFRICA (WOSA)

NAVRAE                                           SU BIRCH, UITVOERENDE HOOF, WOSA, (021) 883-3860, (082) 563-0677

                                                            TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC, (021) 422-2690, (082) 579-2358