In this 5-minute extract from Innovating together for the future-Australia’s approach to sustainable grape and wine production, Liz Waters from Wine Australia, highlights their progress in sustainability—particularly around carbon emissions—and outlines a roadmap for future collaboration and emissions reduction.
Australia currently has the lowest on-farm emissions per unit of agricultural output globally, according to recent government data. While the wine industry is a small part of that overall picture, this sets a strong baseline for Australia’s sustainability efforts.
The speaker frames the presentation like a wine tasting—offering quick insights into several topics. One key context point is that global wine consumption is declining, especially compared to beer, cider, and low-alcohol drinks.
Thus, the real competition is not other wine-producing countries, but alternative beverages. The challenge, then, is to position wine as the preferred sustainable alcohol choice.
Australia is tackling its emissions head-on with a structured approach:
- Establish a baseline carbon footprint
- Identify biggest reduction opportunities
- Model outcomes and set a 2030 reduction target
While zero emissions isn’t feasible by 2030, the roadmap sets a realistic and measurable trajectory for progress.
Key points covered:
- Australia leads in low on-farm agri-emissions
- Wine consumption is declining relative to beer & cider
- The real competition is outside the wine sector
- A roadmap to reduce emissions by 2030 has been established
- Packaging and transport are the largest emissions sources in wine
The speaker ends with a call for global collaboration, inviting others to join Australia in driving a sustainable wine future.
