Durban - In the month in which many globally have honoured the strides made for workers’ rights, there is pride in knowing South African wine producers are striving for fair labour practices on their farms and in their cellars.
The Wine and Agricultural Trade Association (Wieta) has announced that has more than doubled its membership in the past year. The non-profit organisation promotes ethical trade in the wine industry via its code of good practice and has stakeholders including producers, retailers, trade unions, government and non-government organisations.
Given there are 3 440 wine-grape growers in the country, Wieta’s membership of 911 may not seem massive, but it does represent a shift in attitudes towards fairness in labour and a willingness for producers to be accredited for their efforts. Chief executive Linda Lipparoni says the rise in membership follows a consumer demand for goods from producers adhering to ethical labour practices.
Globally shoppers are supporting producers treating their workers fairly with the knock-on impacting retailers increasingly calling for suppliers to demonstrate their credentials.
Sweden has made Wieta accreditation a condition on some tenders submitted to its state-run retailer Systembolaget. Last year Systembolaget chairman Cecilia Seidegård and chief executive Magdalena Gerger told local producers they considered it “a priority” to promote supply chains that were fair and honest towards people and the environment.
Wines of South Africa chief executive Siobhan Thompson credits South Africa with being Sweden’s largest source of new world wines and second-largest supplier overall. The country is one of the industry’s top five export destinations.
South Africa’s major producers Distell, DGB and KWV – and the players accounting for the bulk of South Africa’s wine export volumes – hold Wieta accreditation and are working with suppliers to achieve compliance and attain membership.
In Thompson’s words, these industry leaders are setting a positive precedent and the more producers achieving accreditation, the stronger becomes South Africa’s reputation as an ethical wine-producing nation.
Wieta is also benchmarking its code and audit methodology against the Global Social Compliance Programme, a business-driven programme with members across the UK, Europe, US and Japan dedicated to improving the working and environmental conditions in global supply chains.
Diary notes: The Beverley Hills Hotel, this year celebrating its golden anniversary, will host a four-course food and wine pairing dinner with Wine Cellar director Roland Peens on May 22. The cost is R495 a head and booking is essential.
The Mercury