The word “sustainability” represents the essence of the way of working that is necessary to ensure a future in balance with nature and society. We have learned to recognize its complexity, to identify its components, and to pronounce it with increasing urgency of practical application. Especially in the last thirty years: starting from 1992, in which the UN held its first official Conference on the environment, inviting the creation of “a development model capable of ensuring the satisfaction of the needs of the present generation without compromising the possibility of future generations to create their own “, the word sustainability has become a key point of productive life: for people, for the environment and the territory, for companies and above all for the countries themselves.
Whether on small or large scale, it has ceased to be a simple invitation to become a list of good practices to be applied, perfected and adapted to individual needs. A clear example of the will and tenacity to achieve high levels of sustainability is represented by the Consorzio di Tutela del Prosecco DOC, one of the first entities to address this issue at the denomination level and not at the level of individual companies.
In 2018, the Consorzio Prosecco DOC, five member companies, the University of Padua and specific professional figures launched, thanks to funding from the Veneto Region, the PRO.SECCO DOC project, acronym for the Italian words Programma della Sostenibilità E del Controllo della Competitività della filiera vitivinicola Prosecco DOC (Sustainability And Control Program Competitiveness of the Prosecco DOC wine chain), with the aim of testing the most stringent certification standards of environmental, social and economic sustainability. Strategic management to create the tools and develop the skills necessary to achieve maximum sustainability of the entire Prosecco Denomination, thanks to the progressive transfer of know-how to at least 60% of the denomination’s production chain.
The viticultural and processing companies have started, through precise IT tools, a system for monitoring and collecting data along the business management processes, which allows to calculate carbon and water footprints. Furthermore, among the environmental indicators, that of the biodiversity of water, air and soil will not be lacking. In addition to purely environmental factors, practices towards employees, local communities and suppliers will also be assessed, adopting a path of professional growth for operators to achieve ever greater competitiveness in our sector from an environmental and social point of view, while maintaining its economic value.
All this will lead to the preparation of the “Sustainability Report” of the companies, of the product and, as far as we are concerned – thanks to an innovative system of information flow – of the territory, in order to be able to certify ourselves as a “Sustainable Denomination”.
