Sustainability certifications are becoming more prevalent and we believe they are built on solid foundations.
by Chad Steiner
The word “Sustainability” seems to have gotten new life in recent years. 20 years ago it was a big word, but maybe there wasn’t as much substance to grab onto. And now we’re on the lookout for “Green Washing” (kind of like saying it but not really doing it). It seems like the real goal is finding ways to use renewable resources and leave the earth a better place? How can we know the company’s products we support are made using sustainable practices? I’ve been talking a lot about sustainability “certifications”. Is sustainability important to you? It sure is to us. We are passionate about helping our farm and its soils be healthy. Certifications can help companies be more sustainable, can help farmers be more sustainable. Certification programs have standards farmers need to follow to be approved, and often audits can be provided by a 3rd party agency. The certification programs I’d like to talk about today are all voluntary. I like to think of the certifications as levels or as a progression. I’m not claiming to describe this comprehensively. My goal is additional clarity and for this article focused on wine grapes and farming. Let’s dive in.
Certification “Levels” Defined:
Level 1: Regional Certifications. Examples – Napa Green, Lodi Rules, Sustainable WA.
My goal isn’t to dive into the components of the certifications. I’ve included links if you’d like to. My goal is to emphasize the “concept” of certification and how the structure of these certifications drive behavior. The certifications are often developed by members of industry. These groups come together to create a framework and the details associated with it. It sounds like it took several years to develop the Sustainable WA standards. I’m calling them “level 1” because they seem to be approachable for all growers. They also seem to be comprehensive – not just focused on production practices, but focused on the people (and more) – equitable wages and safety. But how do any of the certifications drive behavior? It seems simple enough – 1. the value having criteria to follow, 2. The value the certification brand itself creates. Let’s take Sustainable WA for example. If the program is successful, at some point “consumers” will seek out wines with the certification on the label. As time goes on, the standards will be reviewed. For participants to remain “certified” they’ll need to keep up with the standards. And if the “certification” builds trust with its audience, there will be value of remaining a participant. However, the foundation of the program is to provide certification standards to growers. For growers it can be like having an expert “guide” on how to be more sustainable. Here’s an example of a “Certification Program” driving behavior from Napa Green: late in 2023 they announced changes to their standards eliminating the use of synthetic herbicides by 2028 (see full article here). I’ve included bits of information and links to the programs below. I’ll then move on to what I consider Level 2 – Organic Certification.
In doing some research on the Napa Green website, I thought it was appropriate to include a quote from one of the farmers.
“Throughout the certification process, the Napa Green staff provided close guidance around specific tools and services to build on each of the six pillars of sustainability: water, waste, energy, regenerative farming, synthetic chemical reduction and social equity. Following the initial certification, they have continued to share their knowledge and experience to increase our understanding of sustainable best practices moving forward.”
TOD MOSTERO DIRECTOR OF VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING AT DOMINUS ESTATE (source: https://napagreen.org/)
(source: https://napagreen.org/)
“When you drink a glass of wine made from LODI RULES certified grapes, you are supporting a farmer, a vintner, and an entire agricultural community that embraces their responsibility to care for the environment and the people.” Source: Lodi Rules website.
From the Lodi Rules website:
our definition of sustainability
“In agriculture, sustainability means farming in a way that is environmentally and socially responsible while also being economically viable.”
Check out this really cute video the made asking kids, click here or the image.
From the Sustainable WA website:
“Sustainability Matters
Sustainability includes a broad set of science-based practices developed for local conditions and vineyard and winery scale. Objectives include natural resources, watershed protection, soil health, low input farming, employee and community stewardship and climate resiliency.
Sustainable WA covers the pillars of sustainability: environmentally sound, socially equitable, and economically viable. It is a rigorous, science-based program and built with continuous improvement in mind. Sustainable WA was built by and for the industry, specifically for Washington vineyards.” Source: https://sustainablewa.com/
Level 2: Organic Certification, USDA Organic Certified.
It seems like this is a certification everyone is familiar with. Established in the early 2000’s and focused on production practices. Let me be clear – organic doesn’t mean “no spray”. Anytime we have a monoculture (see prior article here on ecosystems) pests have the potential to thrive. The organic standard does however regulate “what” can be sprayed. There is a great body of information on their website – click here to learn more. I also thought the infographic below was great at showing how much organic production has grown. What seems to have the greatest strength in the organic program is the elimination of synthetic products. This has forced growers to be creative and the industry who supports growers has responded. There are now many tools for growers to use in organic production, from mechanical options, to more readily available natural fertilizer products to biological products to help control powdery mildew. The one downfall of organic production is the allowance for mechanical disturbance of the soil. In many cases when herbicides have been eliminated – tillage is what replaced it. Long term repeated tillage isn’t as beneficial for the soil as other options (not always practical) like use of animals. We’ll dive a bit into that in the Regenerative Certification.
Level 3: Regenerative Organic Certification
Established in 2017, this is one of the newer certifications. One most people likely haven’t heard about. We’re really excited about this certification. It’s very progressive and very focused on building the soil. So not only does it require “Organic” certification, it requires more – animals being a big part of it. We hope you’ll hear more and more about “regenerative” farming. There are examples of growers using these production methods who’ve been able to bring soil organic from less than 1% to levels similar to when the bison roamed at close to 7%. More organic matter means more captured carbon. More organic matter means greater water holding capacity. More organic matter means soil resiliency and less soil loss. Really an amazing success example.
Here is some info from the ROC site.
“OUR STORY
Regenerative Organic Certified® was established in 2017 by a group of farmers, business leaders, and experts in soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness collectively called the Regenerative Organic Alliance, or ROA.
Our mission is to build soil health, ensure equity for farm workers, empower farmers, and improve animal welfare through a holistic farm-based, brand-driven certification.
By adopting regenerative organic practices on more farms around the world, we can create long-term solutions to the climate crisis, factory farming, and fractured rural economies.” Source: https://regenorganic.org/our-story/
Source: https://regenorganic.org/our-story/
Their motto: Farm Like the World Depends On It!
Conclusion
I hope describing these certifications in “levels” has been helpful. It starts with the basics at the regional level. For us this upped our game and made us look at things more holistically with the Sustainable WA certification. The next level is Organic Certification. Definitely a step change in production practices – and potentially not realistic in all cases. Economics are a large part of being sustainable – and not all production approaches in all scenarios make sense. The last level which we think will become the gold standard is regenerative organic certification. Its focus on building soil, incorporation of animals and fair treatment of people is inspiring. The good news with all these standards is they’ve become more definable and you can rest assure there are many in these industries hungry to be more sustainable. Keep an eye out for these logos and ask questions.
Cheers,
