Equalitas. The world of Italian wine towards sustainability
In a crowded conference room at the MIPAAF at Vinitaly today the Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies Maurizio Martina launched Equalitas and the related wine sustainability standard together with the President of Equalitas Riccardo Ricci Curbastro.
Equalitas was born after almost three years of work between Federdoc, Unione Italiana Vini, the CSQA-Valoritalia group, 3A vino and Gambero Rosso ; brings together the experiences of a vast audience of producers and scientific research programs developed in recent years within the Italian Wine Union and the Forum for Wine Sustainability.
Equalitas proposes a unique sustainability model for the Italian wine sector , shared among the representatives of the supply chain; proposes itself to international markets in a proactive way. The "Equalitas - Sustainable wine" standard will be voluntary and responds to a series of easily measurable parameters: biodiversity, consumption, carbon footprint, phytosanitary management, but also interaction with local communities and therefore the social impact of companies. Sustainability is approached according to the social, environmental and economic pillars.
“ We have thought of consumers and companies ” explains Riccardo Ricci Curbastro, president of Equalitas “ the former want good wines but also certainties when it comes to sustainability; the latter needed a tool capable of expressing their commitment to this fundamental issue with immediacy and simplicity. It is a private initiative that has great public value. Italy takes a proactive approach with its producers, with a homogeneous, coordinated and representative approach to Italian wine production ”.
The initiative obtained a decisive imprimatur from the Minister. “ This appointment ” declares Minister Martina “ well represents the path taken by our producers in the direction of quality. There is great teamwork behind this project, with crucial subjects of the Italian winemaking experience united under the key of sustainability. Equalitas interprets the binomial sustainability-competitiveness well , as a distinctive element. There are markets, such as the United States, for example, where sustainability certification can become a determining factor for consumer choice . More than other countries, Italy must push in this direction, as we also demonstrated at Expo Milano 2015. There is a challenge to overcome in order to have agricultural and agri-food models with a low environmental impact. We are ahead of the others and this project proves it. We are on the right track . ”
The hope now is that the extraordinary synthesis work done by the wine supply chain, which led to the birth of "Equalitas - Sustainable wine", can be taken as a basis by the Ministry of Agriculture to define a general regulatory framework that leads to public recognition of this standard.
VIDEO OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE
Equalitas was born after almost three years of work between Federdoc, Unione Italiana Vini, the CSQA-Valoritalia group, 3A vino and Gambero Rosso ; brings together the experiences of a vast audience of producers and scientific research programs developed in recent years within the Italian Wine Union and the Forum for Wine Sustainability.
Equalitas proposes a unique sustainability model for the Italian wine sector , shared among the representatives of the supply chain; proposes itself to international markets in a proactive way. The "Equalitas - Sustainable wine" standard will be voluntary and responds to a series of easily measurable parameters: biodiversity, consumption, carbon footprint, phytosanitary management, but also interaction with local communities and therefore the social impact of companies. Sustainability is approached according to the social, environmental and economic pillars.
“ We have thought of consumers and companies ” explains Riccardo Ricci Curbastro, president of Equalitas “ the former want good wines but also certainties when it comes to sustainability; the latter needed a tool capable of expressing their commitment to this fundamental issue with immediacy and simplicity. It is a private initiative that has great public value. Italy takes a proactive approach with its producers, with a homogeneous, coordinated and representative approach to Italian wine production ”.
The initiative obtained a decisive imprimatur from the Minister. “ This appointment ” declares Minister Martina “ well represents the path taken by our producers in the direction of quality. There is great teamwork behind this project, with crucial subjects of the Italian winemaking experience united under the key of sustainability. Equalitas interprets the binomial sustainability-competitiveness well , as a distinctive element. There are markets, such as the United States, for example, where sustainability certification can become a determining factor for consumer choice . More than other countries, Italy must push in this direction, as we also demonstrated at Expo Milano 2015. There is a challenge to overcome in order to have agricultural and agri-food models with a low environmental impact. We are ahead of the others and this project proves it. We are on the right track . ”
The hope now is that the extraordinary synthesis work done by the wine supply chain, which led to the birth of "Equalitas - Sustainable wine", can be taken as a basis by the Ministry of Agriculture to define a general regulatory framework that leads to public recognition of this standard.
VIDEO OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE