Sustainability: a tale of two New Zealand wineries

Purpose: This paper examines and compares how the sustainability concept is defined and practiced in two small, representative New Zealand wineries.

Design/methodology/approach: This study employed a grounded field research methodology to collect qualitative data from the owners of two wineries.

Findings: The findings show that the wineries are similar in terms of how they define sustainability but there are clear differences in how they have chosen to implement sustainability. These differences are particularly apparent with regard to their use of environmental management systems; one winery follows organic and biodynamic practices and the other bases their actions on the science of ecology.

Practical implications: Although sustainability is practiced in different ways, the two wineries demonstrate that the concept is in reality both an ideology and a set of practices. This paper provides support for earlier research that has suggested there is no single set of sustainable practices that are best for every producer in every situation; the implementation of sustainable practices is determined by each individual wine business and depends on the nature of their unique environment. There is no definitive evidence that one set of practices is any more or less sustainable than any other set of practices.