An Exploratory Study of the Sustainable Practices Used at Each Level of the Bordeaux Wine Value Chain

Abstract

This paper explores environmental and socially sustainable practices among different actors in the Bordeaux wine value chain (WVC). The main research question is to identify the extent to which the different actors in the wine value chain are aligned in terms of practices and beliefs concerning the importance and implementation of sustainable practices. While each actor in the Bordeaux WVC performs different sustainable practices depending on the activities that they undertake, some share common practices and exert some upstream pressure on the value chain as they seek to support sustainable practices at the wine grape grower and wine producer level. Environmentally sustainable practices are more developed than socially sustainable practices and were more widely adopted by most of the WVC actors.