Improving sustainability assessment: A context-oriented classification analysis for the wine industry

Assessment tools are a vital instrument and a powerful aid to support our transition towards sustainability. Despite benefits of embracing a more sustainable approach being finally recognised by the wine industry, sustainability issues are still largely unexplored by the sector in comparison to other industries. Acknowledging any sustainability assessment should be linked to the context in which the system being evaluated operates, the notable shortage of instruments designed specifically to evaluate winegrowing systems is perceived as one important gap needed to be addressed. After recognising the immensity and heterogeneity of assessment tools developed until this date by a plethora of other sectors, the goal of this study is to identify instruments that may conform better to the specificities of complex systems such as winegrowing. Beyond a context-oriented exploration, multivariate statistical techniques of Hierarchical and K-means cluster analysis were applied on a representative sample of 42 assessment tools. Out of the seven instruments proposed by the clustering results, one was originally developed to evaluate viticulture (EIOVI), another later adapted and expanded for winegrowing systems (INDIGO), and two already used to assess vineyard management practices (IDEA; INSPIA). Results also showed farm level and indicator-based assessment tools to be largely represented, with spatial coverage and assessment methodology categories showing higher clustering weights. This work contributes to enlighten policymakers to acknowledge the importance of taking context-comprehensiveness into account, when implementing or improving agri-environmental measures and regional policies. Findings can also be used by stakeholders or decision-makers looking to make sustainability more measurable and operational.