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Sustainability Challenges and Progress in the Wine & Beverage Industry

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2024) | Viewed by 8706

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Moritz Wagner

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Guest Editor

Department of Applied Ecology, Geisenheim University, Geisenheim, Germany
Interests: agroecology; biodiversity; circular bioeconomy; ecosystem services; life-cycle assessment; special crops; sustainability; sustainable intensification; value chains; wine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Jon Hanf

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Guest Editor

Department of Wine & Beverage Business, Geisenheim University, Geisenheim, Germany
Interests: strategic management; international marketing; value chains; networks; cooperatives; wine and beverage industry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The wine and beverage industry is under mounting pressure from both external and internal stakeholders to further decrease its environmental footprint and improve its social and economic performance. Various companies have met the challenge and strive to integrate sustainability targets (e.g., to achieve carbon neutrality or foster biodiversity) into their strategy. In order to reach these goals, the industry has to overcome several hurdles along the value chain, such as the extensive use of fungicides in the vineyards or the environmental impact associated with the usage of single-use glass bottles.The focus of this Special Issues is 1) on the identification of the key sustainability challenges from an industry perspective and 2) on the development and assessment of approaches, which help to increase sustainability in the wine and beverage sector. Such approaches could include the deployment of sustainable management techniques, certification schemes, new technologies or novel business models. Special emphasis is placed on the evaluation of tradeoffs between the different sustainability dimensions and on approaches, which can already be implemented by companies today. The scope encompasses, thereby, the whole value chain of the wine and beverage production, from the cultivation of the basic ingredients to the processing until the final product, as well as the packaging and transport to consumers. The purpose of this Special Issue is to identify and highlight approaches and technologies that enable the wine and beverage industry to holistically improve its sustainability performance.

Prof. Dr. Moritz Wagner
Prof. Dr. Jon Hanf
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

carbon neutrality
CSR
ecosystem services
life-cycle assessment
social sustainability
sustainable wine industry
tradeoffs
value chain
water footprint

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 3892 KiB

Open AccessArticle

User-Centered Development of an Online Dashboard Tool for Economic Sustainability for Small and Medium Enterprises

by Anthony William Bennett and Simone Müller Loose

Sustainability 2024, 16(2), 557; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020557 - 9 Jan 2024

Viewed by 871

Abstract

This study aimed to improve an existing static benchmarking tool for the economic sustainability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the wine sector to develop and elevate it into a dynamic online dashboard decision support system (DSS) for economic sustainability. Development was conducted in line with a user-centered-development process in four main steps. In the first step, producers’ expectations for an optimal tool were elicited using a qualitative approach of 24 in-depth interviews with long-term users of the existing PDF reports. Among the 10 requirements, producers requested an overall summary assessment of the most important KPIs of their business (including the provision of ideal values), intuitive visual presentations, long-term time developments, flexible reference groups, and short comments. Based on the wine producers’ systemized responses, the first version of the online benchmarking tool was designed and implemented in cooperation with experienced online designers and programmers. In the third step, a usability test was conducted to elicit options for further improvements that were implemented before the fourth step, the release of the final version to the industry. The systematic development process outlined and established here and the released DSS tool that is publicly available with open access provide valuable insights for institutions planning similar future dashboards for other sectors, particularly for SMEs. This constitutes an important step toward the development of more holistic support tools for sustainability performance measurement across all pillars of sustainability moving forward. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the DSS developed represents the first online dashboard tool for economic sustainability for SMEs globally and in the wine sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Challenges and Progress in the Wine & Beverage Industry)

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20 pages, 1012 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Benchmarking Economic Sustainability: What Factors Explain Heterogeneity between Wine Businesses?

by Anthony William Bennett and Simone Mueller Loose

Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16686; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416686 - 8 Dec 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 791

Abstract

To assess a wine producer’s economic sustainability, it is useful to benchmark its economic indicators against a suitable reference group. Existing research mainly compares wine businesses either by region or by size alone. There is a research gap concerning which of the two benchmarking factors can be more suitable or whether both factors are required. Using a framework of economic sustainability benchmarking figures, the effects of region and size, as well as the effect of their interactions, on 10 economic indicators were estimated through an ANOVA and the estimation of effect sizes. The analysis is based on a unique data set of business data averages of 382 German wine estates across six agricultural years (2014–2019). Region and size both had a significant influence on 7 out of 10 benchmark indicators. Wine estates from distinct regions more strongly differed in their primary indicators of production factors, price and yield as well as secondary indicators of cost and productivity. Contrarily, wine estates of diverse size groups more strongly differed in their tertiary indicators of profitability and return, which are key indicators of economic sustainability. Both size and region should be utilized for suitable economic indicators when benchmarking wine businesses for future assessments of economic sustainability. Hereby, this paper provides a first step in making economic sustainability less subjective for the German wine industry and how to move forward in regards to benchmarking within empirical frameworks and tools of economic sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Challenges and Progress in the Wine & Beverage Industry)

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16 pages, 1073 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Consumer Acceptance of Fungus-Resistant Grape Varieties—An Exploratory Study Using Sensory Evaluation Tests among Consumers in Germany

by Christoph Kiefer and Gergely Szolnoki

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10664; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310664 - 6 Jul 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1351

Abstract

To align with the target of reducing plant protection measures within the EU Green Deal programme, the utilisation of resistant grape varieties in viticulture becomes indispensable. Consequently, this study investigated the factors that influence consumer acceptance of fungus-resistant grape varieties (FRGV) in Germany. The qualitative research methodology involved conducting semi-structured interviews, including sensory evaluation tests, with focus groups consisting of 48 consumers and evaluating the data using content analysis. The findings revealed that the attractiveness of a grape variety is determined by four distinct attributes: familiarity, designation, association, and image. Furthermore, FRGV can be made more attractive to consumers by using denominations based on established grape varieties or by using and associating them with their sensory patterns. The sensory acceptance of FRGV varies significantly across consumer segments and vinification methods. Providing relevant information about the benefits of resistant grape varieties has a positive impact on consumer acceptance, and the level of interest and relevance varies by target group. The study suggests that it is possible to enhance consumer acceptance by offering attractive grape varieties, targeting group-specific sensory profiles, and engaging in storytelling campaigns that educate consumers about the advantages of resistant grapes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Challenges and Progress in the Wine & Beverage Industry)

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Review

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29 pages, 672 KiB

Open AccessReview

Developing a Sustainability Vision for the Global Wine Industry

by Moritz Wagner, Peter Stanbury, Tabea Dietrich, Johanna Döring, Joachim Ewert, Carlotta Foerster, Maximilian Freund, Matthias Friedel, Claudia Kammann, Mirjam Koch, Tom Owtram, Hans Reiner Schultz, Kai Voss-Fels and Jon Hanf

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10487; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310487 - 3 Jul 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4944

Abstract

Interest in sustainability has increased significantly in the wine sector in the past few years, driven by customer interest, as well as the impact of global warming-intensified weather extremes on wine growers. For a sustainable future the wine industry must design its entire value chain in such ways that it conserves and regenerates the natural environment and at the same time promotes human rights, inclusion and equality. The current paper identified five key challenges which have to be overcome in order to reach this goal: (1) climate change impact and adaptation strategies, (2) the reduction of GHG emissions and creation of carbon sinks, (3) vineyard inputs, (4) packaging and (5) social and economic sustainability. For each of these five challenges research gaps and possible solutions are presented which enable a holistic improvement of the sustainability of the whole wine value chain from the vineyard to the consumers. Examples for this are strategies to reduce the use of pesticides in the vineyard as well as carbon insetting options in the vineyard. Additionally, it is of utmost importance that every educational institution integrates facts and vision into their teaching programs in a holistic manner. Together, these approaches form the basis for a realistic sustainability vision for the global wine industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Challenges and Progress in the Wine & Beverage Industry)

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