Should we go for swgb?

Answer the questions below to work out if you’re ready to undertake the Sustainable Wines of Great Britain certification.

Home Should we go for SWGB?

The rules: If you answer…

100% yes: You’re ready! Certification will mostly be a matter of entering your existing data.

50%+ yes: You’re well on your way. Treat the remaining items as your action plan for preparing to certify.

Under 50% yes: This is the perfect time to tap into our toolkits and the wider SWGB community. Sign up to SWGB to learn how the scheme can help you build and improve sustainability across your vineyard or winery.

Vineyard

  1. Do you keep records of the jobs done around the vineyard?
  2. Do you conduct soil analysis at least once every three years?
  3. Is ground cover present in vineyard inter-row alleys in the winter?
  4. Do you have records of all your vineyard interventions such as pruning and spraying?
  5. Do you keep annual records of buds left per hectare at pruning, yields and average bunch weight and pruning weight/hectare for each parcel?
  6. Are you, during growing season, monitoring for pests and diseases at least every fortnight?
  7. Can you map and list wildlife habitats and environmental, landscape, archaeological and historical features in the vineyard?
  8. Have you logged onto the WineGB Carbon Calculator or had a Carbon report conducted?
  9. Are you aware of where your vineyard waste ends up?
  10. Do you have a strategy in place to improve your vineyard sustainability practices?

Winery

  1. Are you able to evaluate your winery’s environmental efficiency?
  2. Do you have your winery’s electricity records?
  3. Do you use renewable or green energy sources to fuel your winery?
  4. Do you record your water usage?
  5. Are you aware of all your packaging materials?
  6. Do you consider the environmental impact of your packaging choices from foils to pallet wraps?
  7. Have you logged onto the WineGB Carbon Calculator or had a Carbon report conducted?
  8. Are you able to describe how rainwater, winery wastewater and other wastewaters generated by the winery building are disposed of?
  9. Do you recycle your grape marc?
  10. Do you have a strategy in place to improve your winery sustainability practices?

People

  1. Do you have a hiring policy that clearly outlines recruitment processes, including where and how jobs are advertised?
  2. Do you have a volunteer agreement which outlines the expectations, rights, and responsibilities of both the organisation and the volunteer?
  3. If you work with contractors, do you have a contractor engagement policy or statement outlining your approach to hiring and managing contract workers fairly and transparently?
  4. Do you have a EDI statement, outlining your organisation’s commitment to curating an inclusive and accessible environment?