Abstract
Background: Environmental management systems and practices have become a necessity in wine supply chains, given their vulnerability to climate change. Climate change could lead to a 55% loss of wine-cultivating land in South Africa by 2050, which would harm the first two tiers of the wine supply chain.Objectives: The objective was to investigate the current environmental systems and practices applied in the first two tiers of the Northern Cape wine supply chain.Method: This qualitative exploratory study was conducted by semi-structured interviews to determine the various environmental management systems and practices adopted by role players. The data collected were analysed by thematic analysis.Results: The results indicated the implementation of an environmental management tool, namely the Integrated Production of Wine scheme. Supportive practices such as water- and energy-wise approaches, soil management and waste management were also identified. Furthermore, a sincere relationship between farmers, cellars and viticulturists results in collaboration based on mutual information sharing and cooperation between role players to reduce their environmental impact.Conclusion: The various environmental management practices and the collaborative approach between role players can serve as an example to other agricultural supply chains.
Highlights
It has become vital for organisations to adopt environmental management practices owing to pressure from stakeholders to mitigate climate change (Monczka et al 2016:609)
The literature study indicated that the major environmental issues are energy, fresh water, waste management, air pollution, transportation and climate change
This study investigated the environmental management practices adopted by the first two tiers of the Northern Cape wine supply chain
Summary
Environmental management systems and practices have become a necessity in wine supply chains, given their vulnerability to climate change. Climate change could lead to a 55% loss of wine-cultivating land in South Africa by 2050, which would harm the first two tiers of the wine supply chain
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