Environmental Impact Assessment of an Organic Wine Production in Central Italy: Case Study from Lazio

Abstract

Growing awareness of environmental sustainability in the agri-food sector has enhanced the gradual shift toward less-impactful food and organic production systems. In 2021, nearly three million hectolitres of organic wine were produced which accounted for 6% of the whole wine production in Italy (50.2 million hectolitres); thus, registering an increase of almost 60% in the last three years. The economic and cultural importance attributed to Italian wine production worldwide represents a key factor to assess and reduce the environmental burdens associated with the activities of this industry. Furthermore, literature studies have highlighted consumer sensitivity for sustainable winemaking processed, and there is even a trend towards eco-friendly wines. In particular, the bottling stage has been identified as an impactful stage for the environmental performance of the wine life cycle. This study examined the environmental impact assessment of organic wine production in the Lazio region, by performing a “cradle-to-gate” approach according to the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. High-quality inventory data for one year of operation was obtained directly from the farming company, “Tenute Filippi” (Cori, Lazio, Italy), and the wine process considered the input from grape cultivation to the winery phases. In these regards, the study also provided an impact assessment for the primary packaging of a 0.75 L wine bottle, with contributions from the different life cycle stages. The results showed a total amount of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) of 1.1 kg CO2 eq, that are responsible for climate change. Referring to the individual production input, the primary packaging phase accounted for 55% of the total GHGs, with 0.86 kg CO2 eq per bottle, followed by agricultural fuel use for grape production and harvesting activities, with 0.30 kg CO2 eq. Building on these results, the study provides recommendations on the selection of the most significant and relevant indicators for the environmental life cycle impact assessment, thus, identifying possible hotspots in the wine sector.