Stellenbosch Wine Routes becomes first Southern Hemisphere region to sign Porto Protocol

By Lisa Riley

Published: 23 October, 2019

Stellenbosch Wine Routes has signed up to the Porto Protocol as part of its commitment to combat climate change.

Launched by Fladgate Partnership CEO Adrian Bridge and former US President Barack Obama at the Climate Change Leadership Conference in July 2018, the Porto Protocol is a global initiative designed to enable the wine trade to deal with the threat of global warming through the sharing of ideas, expertise and leadership.

Stellenbosch Wine Routes becoming a signatory marks the first Southern Hemisphere region to sign the Porto Protocol.

As the "leading wine tourism destination" in South Africa, Stellenbosch recognised the “leadership role it must play on climate change issues”, said Mike Ratcliffe, chairman of Stellenbosch Wine Routes.

“We are committed as the entire wine and tourism ecosystem of Stellenbosch to lead the way in environmental protection and to foster good environmental principles among all our stakeholders.”

Highlighting the wine industry’s role in leading from the front to mitigate the harmful impact of climate change, Bridge said: “The wine industry suffers directly from climate change and is therefore well placed to lead the movement aimed at finding solutions towards a better environment. We are all responsible and we cannot afford to waste any more time. We need to act now."

Stellenbosch Wine Routes joins more than 130 other businesses in or around the wine trade that have signed up to the Porto Protocol.

Other green initiatives already employed by members of Stellenbosch Wine Routes aimed at sustainability, biodiversity and conservation include the Integrated Production of Wine, WWF Conservation Champions and the establishment of three large conservancies in Stellenbosch - the Greater Simonsberg Conservancy, the Bottelary Hills Conservancy and the Banhoek Conservancy.

Printer friendly version