IWCA partners with wine retailers to launch free carbon calculator

By Oliver Catchpole

Published: 19 May, 2026

International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) has partnered with Berry Bros. & Rudd (BBR) and The Wine Society to launch the Carbon Calculation Challenge 2026 – an initiative designed to help wineries measure their emissions.

The Challenge, which launched at the London Wine Fair (LWF), makes IWCA’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions calculator freely available to wine businesses of any size, anywhere in the world.

Deliberately designed for accessibility, the calculator allows businesses to measure Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) emissions, areas which are most directly under a company’s control, and where data is often most easily available.

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IWCA also offers free calculators covering Scope 3 (value chain) emissions, which it said allows participants to progress towards more complete carbon measurement “at their own pace”.

The initiative aims to lower barriers that prevent businesses from starting out on carbon measurement and reduction.

Commenting on the launch, Charlotte Hey, executive director of IWCA, explained: “Many wine businesses recognise the importance of measuring their carbon footprint but find the process daunting.

“This Challenge is about making that first step simpler and more achievable, to help the sector move forward.”

IWCA will provide guidance and support to wineries who participate in the initiative, helping them to interpret their results, understand ‘hotspots’ for emissions and explore practical opportunities for reduction.

Dom de Ville, director of sustainability and social impact at The Wine Society, added: “We often hear from wine businesses that they want to reduce their carbon footprint, but don’t know where to start.

“This free-to-use carbon calculator tool from IWCA, launched together with The Wine Society and BBR is an easy way for those businesses to get going – to measure their footprint, identify emission hotspots and put plans in place to reduce.”

Between them, The Wine Society and BBR work with hundreds of producers, across many regions and scales.

By supporting this initiative, they hope to “make that first step more accessible for producers and to build momentum across the industry”, according to Adam Holden, head of positive impact at BBR.

The Challenge is designed to complement more advanced carbon accounting methods, focusing on building familiarity with carbon measurement.

Participation is voluntary for businesses, and they retain ownership of their data.

More information on the Challenge is avaliable here.

Those wishing to take part can contact Charlotte Hey at charlotte.hey@iwcawine.org.

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