Aligned to Systembolaget’s sustainability strategy, the monopoly has recently introduced their Most Sustainable Products category for wine and beverages. These products are shaped by their strategy to focus on sustainable consumption going forward to 2030. Products are evaluated based on 4 criteria, namely:

• Environment
• Social responsibility
• Packaging
• Traceability

WIETA management met with Sara Norel on her visit to Stellenbosch in early February and later with the sustainability team and winemaker Mathilda Dannetun to discuss what this means for South African wine suppliers. For this Sustainable Choice category, Systembolaget will now require only A-rated WIETA Certificates in the wine trace of a particular product. This may pose a challenge for complex blended wine, as you will need to ensure traceability of each component of the wine before adding the blends in one tank. When asked about the decision to only accept As for WIETA, the response was that any major finding in their supply chain is deemed high risk. Markets will continue to crack down on product requirements as the EU and other countries ramp up their sustainability, climate change and human rights regulations.

Should you be interested in taking part in a round-table discussion with Systembolaget on these requirements, please contact Linda Lipparoni at linda@wieta.org.za.