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The demand for sustainable wines does not stop: Carbon footprint ISO 14064-1

Thursday 19, June 2025

For years, global market trends have been changing. The perception of a wine’s quality is also determined by environmental aspects.

The Spanish wine sector is characterised by its dynamism and export capacity. In 2023, Spain was the world’s leading exporter by volume and the third largest exporter by value. However, despite its leading position, it competes with other countries, such as France and Italy, which often earn higher revenues as a result of the sale of bottled wine and a perception of higher quality.

Already for years, global market trends have been changing. The perception of a wine’s quality is also determined by environmental factors.

The European wine consumer is heterogeneous. However, there are common market trends such as a preference for lighter, dryer and good quality wines, as well as a growing interest in organic and sustainable wines.

In the US, consumers are looking for wines with good balance, freshness, fruitiness and value for money. However, trends show an increasing interest in organic, low-intervention and sustainable wines, especially among young people.

Another large market, Japan, is characterised by its demand for quality, food pairing and health. There is also a growing interest in wines with less sulphites and organic wines.

The global wine industry is moving towards a more sustainable model, not only for environmental commitment but also for strategic market reasons. A growing number of distributors, supermarket chains and e-commerce platforms, aware of the changes in demand, are demanding certifications from producers to demonstrate their responsible climate performance. In this context, the UNE-EN ISO 14064-1 has become a key tool that accredits the results of the winery.

Sustainable wine certification indicates that the winery has implemented production systems that minimise its environmental impact and promote social and economic responsibility.

  • IWCA (International Wineries for Climate Action), created in 2019, is a collective of sustainable wineries seeking to accredit their environmental efforts. They require their members to certify their carbon footprint according to UNE-EN ISO 14064-1:2019.
  • SUSTWINE, led by the Círculo Agroalimentario de Aragón, is a seal that accredits the sustainability of the winery in the wine production process.
  • Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection (SWfCP) is developed by the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV) and establishes the criteria that a sustainable winery should meet. After favourable verification, they obtain the Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection certificate.

The main Spanish wineries are making progress in the environmental certification of their organisations. These include Torres, Alma Carraovejas, Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (C.V.N.E.), Viñas Familia Gil, Ramon Bilbao and Neleman Wines. In this way, they improve the perception of the quality of their products and facilitate the entry into new markets.

ISO 14064-1:2018. How does it help a winery's environmental commitment?

ISO 14064-1 eis an international standard that enables the quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the level of an entire organisation. Unlike ISO 14067 (focused on specific products), this standard applies to all activities of the company, from the vineyard to distribution.

The calculation of the Carbon Footprint according to the criteria of this international standard brings clear and tangible benefits to the wine producer:

  • Compliance with the requirements of distribution channels and the market, which request verified and certified wineries.
  • Adaptation to European environmental regulations, such as Regulation (EU) 2024/178 or Regulation (EU) 2020/852 on taxonomy.
  • Improving the efficiency of wineries, as it is an excellent means of detecting waste (energy, resources, …).
  • Access to subsidies and green finance, aid lines linked to climate KPIs.
How to implement ISO 14064-1 in a winery?

Although the systematic approach may change according to the particularities of the organisation, the steps to follow can be summarised as follows:

  • Define scope, objective and the organisational and operational limits of the project: own wineries, vineyards, outsourced logistics, etc.
  • Classify emissions into scopes 1, 2 and 3, as required in UNE-EN ISO 14064-1:2019.
  • Identify sources of GHG emissions: electricity, gas, fuels, refrigerants, transport, business travel, agricultural work, biogenic carbon, etc. … .
  • Inventory of actual GHG data produced by the winery and conversion to CO₂-eq.
  • External verification of results and certification of the organisation.
  • Publication of the results in sustainability reports or technical sheets.

Our mission is to make everything a little easier

OAK has been developing consultancy projects in the area of sustainability since 2000 and since 2017 in the field of product life cycle analysis (UNE-EN ISO 14025:2010).

Our clients are organisations from various sectors that value the services of a consultancy firm with more than 20 years of experience in sustainability projects. As a result of our knowledge, we can propose coherent, professional and simple methodologies that facilitate the calculation of the carbon footprint in accordance with UNE-EN ISO 14064-1:2019, GHG Protocol (Greenhouse Gas Protocol), Royal Decree 214/2025 or  UNE-EN ISO 14067:2019.

Our Firm has a multidisciplinary team that provides personalised support to each organisation, ensuring that the process is understandable, clear, effective and aligned with their needs and resources.

The information contained herein is gathered from a variety of sources. While we endeavour to ensure that it is correct, accurate and up to date, we cannot guarantee that it will remain so at the time it is accessed. For this reason, any initiative that may be taken using such information as a reference must be preceded by a thorough verification of its reality and accuracy, as well as the relevant professional advice by our consulting and development area.