The “CO2Vino” project is aimed at improving the competitiveness of the wine sector by evaluating and improving its sustainability and the fight against climate change.

The “CO2Vino” project is aimed at improving the competitiveness of the wine sector by evaluating and improving its sustainability and the fight against climate change.

The agricultural sector, and specifically the vine sector, is very sensitive to changes in temperature. Wine experts agree that even a slight increase in temperatures resulting from climate change will have catastrophic consequences for European viticulture.

The fight against climate change is therefore an essential objective for the survival and maintenance of the quality of wines in the wine industry, especially in countries such as Spain.

The initiative aims to train the sector to be able to incorporate, using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology according to ISO 14040-44, the calculation of the Carbon Footprint (HC) according to the PAS 2050:2011 standards, GHG Protocol; OIV, ISO 14064, as the business strategy for carbon management in this sector.

The application of these methodologies aims to quantify, communicate and reduce the environmental impacts derived from a productive activity and in this specific case, that of the wine industry.

Four training and training courses will be held, where they will explain, analyse and train on how to identify, quantify, reduce and communicate the environmental impacts and specifically the CH associated with the entire life cycle of wine, from the preparation of the land and cultivation, the winemaking process, bottling, distribution and the final management of the packaging used. For each of these stages, the critical aspects that most affect the CH associated with the product will be identified, with the aim of providing improvements and a consequent reduction in this value.

The recipients of the actions will be the managers, technicians and employees of SMEs in the wine sector (producers, cooperatives and wineries). Employees and workers of SMEs linked to the environmental sector, such as consultants or environmental technicians, as well as sectors of the wine production chain will also be included. In addition, workers from the associations of professionals in the wine sector of the autonomous communities where the project will be developed, as well as professionals from the regulatory councils of the D.O. in the area, will be addressed.

The results that will be achieved with this initiative are:

• Training of 90 recipients, although the project will reach a total of 1,450 workers.
• Creation of a business line related to carbon management in eight companies in the wine sector.
• Contribution of a minimum of three applicable measures for the reduction of emissions and improvement of energy efficiency in each of the wineries advised.