IREES Colloquium: Boosting social impact assessment of circular strategies in the wine industry| Giulia Gulino, guest PhD student

Speaker: Giullia Gullino, guest PhD's at IREES

Title: Boosting social impact assessment of circular strategies in the wine industry

Abstract: Winemaking is a globally significant agricultural activity, deeply rooted in local cultures and economies. While essential to many rural communities, it also entails considerable environmental impacts, prompting growing calls for more sustainable vitiviniculture. In this context, Circular Economy (CE) strategies have gained attention for their potential to reduce environmental pressures and enhance economic resilience in the wine industry.

However, the social dimension of sustainability has been underexplored. Research and practice have largely overlooked the social implications of circular strategies, resulting in a critical gap. This project addresses that gap by investigating how CE strategies can contribute to social sustainability in the wine production chain. It seeks to identify synergies and trade-offs across the three pillars of sustainability, promoting a more systemic and integrated approach to the circular transition.

The first phase involved a systematic literature review on the interplay between CE and social sustainability in the wine production chain. Building on these insights, the ongoing research at the Integrated Research on Energy, Environment & Society maps the connections between circular strategies and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals from a life cycle perspective. These findings will directly inform the development of a comprehensive framework to support wine organisations in assessing, monitoring, and managing the sustainability implications of their circular strategies.