New Zealand’s national organisation for the country's grape and wine sector, New Zealand Winegrowers, has released its 2025 Sustainability Report, highlighting the industry’s commitment to environmental preservation and sustainability through its climate change, water, people, soil, waste, and plant protection goals.
With 90 per cent of New Zealand wine currently exported, advancing sustainability through research is paramount to the future success of the industry. Despite current turbulent global trade winds, the industry is working to protect and uphold its reputation for high-quality, distinctive, and sustainable wines. Its products are exported to more than 100 countries, with a 2024 export value of $2.1 billion.
The New Zealand Winegrowers report uses empirical data collected from members certified through its Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) program, with values based on continuous improvement to ensure businesses meet best practice guidelines for sustainability across all parts of the production chain.
Around 98 per cent of vineyard area and 90 per cent of the wine produced in New Zealand is certified by SWNZ.
Australia has a similar organisation, developed as a collaboration between The Australian Wine Research Institute, Wine Australia and Australian Grape & Wine. Sustainable Winegrowing Australia released impact reports for 2021 and 2022, but hasn’t released a comparable industry report more recently.
The 2025 New Zealand Winegrowers report stated: “We’re focused on being a world leader in efficient water use and the protection of water quality, achieving zero waste to landfill. We strive to understand, reduce and mitigate the impacts of pests and diseases on our vineyards and enhance the health of our soils.
“It’s the level of ‘above and beyond’ action from companies and individuals in our industry that is helping to deliver lasting change. From plants to people and cellars to communities, we all play our part to put sustainability first.”
Key challenges
The report notes climate change is the biggest long term challenge facing the industry, and references the 2024 New Zealand Wine Roadmap to Net Zero 2050 as a blueprint for making changes across key areas of the value chain to pave the way to a net zero future.
SWNZ members submit data on their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with an individualised report provided to each member, to give comparative data over time. In addition, there are also regional and national reports providing a macro benchmark for progress.
New Zealand Winegrowers general manager sustainability, Dr Edwin Massey, said the data gathered has shown a positive trend, with more of the organisation’s certified members implementing specific initiatives to minimise their carbon footprint.
“Once you start measuring your emissions, you can then make informed business decisions around future changes and investment. 100 per cent of wineries and 92 per cent of vineyards are now optimising their water use through conservation and reduction,” said Massey.
The data showed 63 per cent of wineries are using lightweight glass bottles as one of their methods of packaging, 40 per cent have introduced energy-efficiency initiatives, and 15 per cent have installed solar energy sources.
For vineyards, 29 per cent have energy-efficiency initiatives, 30 per cent are upgrading equipment to reduce energy consumption, and 7 per cent have dedicated property plantings that act as carbon sinks.
Transportation and packaging are the sector’s largest source of GHG emissions, estimated to be around 190,000 tCO2e for packaging, bringing the industry footprint to approximately 305,000 tCO2e.
Aside from emissions, the full report also outlines winery and vineyard participation in soil, waste, plant protection, and water initiatives.
“New industry guidelines offer members practical ways to mitigate the already low impact of viticulture on freshwater,” said Massey.
“This month we will complete the pilot for a digital tool that in the future can integrate with the SWNZ programme when Freshwater Farm Plan regulations come into place. This will minimise duplication, save time and costs for grape growers.”
New Zealand Winegrowers stated the commitment to sustainability remains a key differentiator for New Zealand wine and is central to its premium brand proposition. The full report is available at nzwine.com.
