Meagan Littlejohn: Sustainability essential for New Zealand wine exports

"Just to get your foot in the door in a lot of markets, you do have to be meeting certain sustainability requirements," she told the Wine Business Forum in August.

About 80% of New Zealand's exports head to markets with mandatory climate relate disclosures, either proposed or in place, and those markets are setting higher requirements and asking for more detailed evidence to back up sustainability claims.

Retailers are also sending strong signals, she said, using the British Retail Consortium as an example, with its Climate Action Roadmap carrying the ambition that by 2040 every United Kingdom consumer will be able to make purchases that don't contribute to climate change.

"These retailers are asking for higher requirements to be met, especially when it comes to your carbon footprint... More and more, this information is being passed on to consumers."

Scandinavian countries like Sweden, Norway and Finland, overseen by alcohol monopolies, have started benchmarking sustainability certifications in terms of governance and quality oversight, social sustainability and environmental sustainability, she said.

Sweden, as an example, has its own sustainable choice programme, which offers preferential treatment in the market but is only open to products with certain rigorous certifications.

Scandinavian markets may not be New Zealand wine's top sellers, Meagan said, but "they're leading the way when it comes to sustainability, and they've been having a really large influence in other markets as well."

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From The Heart

"Saying we're sustainable means nothing, but proving we're sustainable actually means everything," said Belinda Jackson at the Wine Business Forum.

The Marketing and Sales Manager of Lawson's Dry Hills - New Zealand's most sustainably certified wine producer - said that having SWNZ, ISO 14001, Toitū net carbonzero (ISO 14064) and B Corp certification was invaluable in the market, helping move the conversation away from price and offering a point of difference. As well as building brand credibility and customer trust, the work done over 20 years had internal benefits, with buy in from the winery and vineyard teams, who know the efforts come "from a place of authenticity and integrity", she said. "It comes from the heart". Never one to rest on its laurels, the company is now looking at growing sustainability gains through regenerative farming.

Belinda told the Wine Business Forum that certification can be scaled depending on size, making it achievable for small companies as well as large. Lawson's is a "lean mean machine", and sustainability measures have helped it become more efficient, whether that's having 200 solar panels to cover 30% of its power needs, capturing water from the winery roof, or buying a low-emission tractor to replace an outgoing machine. "Sometimes it's an accumulation of small things. Nothing is too small to do," she said. "If there's one thing to take away, it's get started, do something small to make a difference. It will snowball. Involve your team and be inspired. Get those certifications and be rewarded."