Government invests in traceability project for Australian wine
Australia’s wine industry is set to receive support from the Government towards a cutting-edge carbon emissions project that will showcase expertise in data-enabled traceability and build trust in Southeast Asian export markets.
Last week, 11 new projects from a variety of sectors were announced as the recipients of a combined $4 million of funding in round three of the Australian Government’s Traceability Grants Program, with the grape and wine sector being one of the beneficiaries.
Under the program, $435,000 will be invested in the grape and wine sector towards a cutting-edge project focused on tracing carbon emissions along the supply chain between Australia and Singapore.
By showcasing Australia’s expertise in data-enabled traceability systems, the project is expected to build confidence in the sustainability of Australian wine and strengthen its competitiveness in Singapore and other Southeast Asian export markets.
Lee McLean, Chief Executive of Australian Grape & Wine, has shared his delight at the announcement.
“These grant rounds are highly contested so we are honoured to be announced as a successful applicant, particularly at a time when building our export credentials is so important for grape and wine producers,” he said.
“The project will not only establish robust traceability credentials for Australian wine but it will build capacity within the sector, putting Australian wine producers on the front foot when it comes to dealing with emerging global sustainability and climate reporting standards.”
McLean also thanked the South Australian Government’s investment attraction agency, Invest SA, which supported the design of the proposal and provided an additional investment of $50,000.
Entitled ‘Tracing Carbon Emissions in an International Wine Industry Value Chain between Australia and Singapore’, the project will develop a secure data exchange platform with tools and resources to enable efficient monitoring and analysis of the emissions involved in getting a product to market.
While the project will allow the grape and wine sector to build sustainability and provenance in its export markets, it will also grow the industry’s capacity in terms of how it shares, uses and benefits from new data technologies.
The development of the project will be supported by a consortium of partners and advisors, including the South Australian Government, Sustainion by Turnkey, More than Machines, Wine Australia, Amazing Web Services, Hill-Smith Wine Estates and Treasury Wine Estates and Australian Grape & Wine.
Signapore-based Sustainion by Turnkey commented: “We believe doing this will enhance the competitiveness of sustainably grown and produced Australian wines in the international market.
“This helps Australia wine producers and growers optimise their supply chains from a carbon emissions perspective, thus demonstrating Australia’s and Singapore’s commitment to addressing carbon emissions at an international cross-border scale.”
Combining the expertise of consortium partners, the project will identify areas for emissions reduction and the benefits of collaboration across international borders in achieving sustainability goals.
In a comment from Amazon Web Services, the organisation has expressed its excitement in collaborating to explore how digital technologies can sustainably transform the Australian wine industry.
“Innovation is key to achieving sustainability goals, as is digital technologies which can help organisations overcome challenges such as value chain traceability and decarbonization of supply chains,” the organisation stated.