Fair and Green anniversary: Fair and Green e. V. celebrates 10 years of sustainable viticulture
‘It was the end of 2013 when we founded Fair and Green with committed winegrowers in a small pub in Winningen on the Moselle,’ reports Dr Keith Ulrich, Chairman of the Board of the Association for Sustainable Viticulture, in his opening speech at the anniversary celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the association.
To mark this special occasion, Fair and Green invited its members and many personalities from the wine industry, politics, science and society to Clärchens Ballhaus in Berlin on 16 November 2023. The newly elected German Wine Queen, Eva Brockmann from Franconia, hosted the programme.
The official part with panel discussions on sustainability in the context of the value chain and international companies was followed by the bottle party, where wines from all member companies were tasted.
Fair and Green e. V. was founded to transfer the concept of sustainability to the wine industry and to develop a system for agriculture that takes into account all socially relevant issues beyond plant and environmental protection. At the end of the day, we should have a responsible and future-proof company that operates in a holistically sustainable manner.
A lot has happened since the association was founded. The association for sustainable viticulture now has more than 150 members from 10 countries. Fair and Green businesses account for around 6,200 hectares of vineyards, of which over 4,000 hectares are in Germany, which corresponds to 4% of the total German vineyard area. In addition to wineries, cellars and cooperatives, businesses in the upstream and downstream value chain, such as label printers, specialist wine shops and a cork producer, are also certified.
Innovations from and for viticulture
Innovations The FAIR’N GREEN system was developed with winegrowers for winegrowers, making it highly relevant in practice and recognised by the participating wineries as their system. and for viticulture
The aim was for the system to cover as many socially relevant aspects as possible, but at the same time to be accessible to many businesses in order to expand sustainable viticulture. It should therefore include the possibility of development as a basic principle.
‘A key requirement was that the sustainability system should not only specify what you shouldn’t do, but also show what you need to do to improve,’ continues Dr Keith Ulrich.
This practical approach, the personalised advice from the Fair and Green team and the community of different winegrowing businesses are particularly appreciated by members.
In addition to close communication with the winegrowers, the link with science is also an important part of Fair and Green. From the very beginning, numerous professors from Hochschule Geisenheim University and the Neustadt Wine Campus have supported Fair and Green and the further development of the system.
Regular updates are just as much a part of this as the initiation of numerous research projects to develop new solutions for current problems.
There are not only one right way, but several right ways, which are covered by the system's sustainability guard rails.
Sustainability always has something to do with innovation
FAIR’N GREEN certification has created a basis that characterises socially responsible action, such as written employment contracts for all seasonal workers, also in the respective national languages, and the introduction of appropriate remuneration even before the introduction of the statutory minimum wage.
In recent years, Fair and Green e. V. has initiated further projects that strengthen the issues of sustainability, climate protection and the promotion of species conservation and biodiversity.
The Save Climate Initiative has been calculating and analysing the CO2 emissions of wineries since 2014 and then recommends individual measures to the wineries to reduce emissions. This includes, for example, switching to lightweight glass bottles weighing 420 grams, which reduces the C02 footprint of the bottles.
can be significantly reduced.
AmBiTo is the largest biodiversity project in German viticulture. Under scientific supervision, targeted biodiversity measures are developed and implemented to enhance agricultural land with biodiversity measures in order to make an important contribution to preserving biodiversity.
Together with Lars Neumeister, a crop protection tool was introduced that evaluates the harmful effects of each individual active ingredient of a crop protection product and thus enables the optimisation of crop protection according to its environmental impact.
This has led to a considerable reduction in the negative effects of pesticides.
Internationalisation & the idea of community
Right from the outset, the aim was to organise Fair and Green internationally, as sustainability does not stop at national borders. Fair and Green now has members in 10 countries, namely Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Israel and, since 2023, Luxembourg. The Domaines Vinsmoselle co-operative was presented with its membership certificate during the Fair and Green anniversary celebrations.
Fair and Green has been supporting Moldovan viticulture with a project since 2022. Local wineries were visited and advised on implementing sustainability measures and identifying development potential.
In summer 2023, 14 Moldovan wineries visited a number of German Fair and Green member wineries to discuss cultivation techniques and cellar processes.
Fair and Green has created a unique community. The members exchange views on important topics, share their experiences of new methods and solutions and also support other companies in a spirit of solidarity.
This was particularly evident during the Ahr flood disaster in 2021, when many member companies actively helped on site and collected donations.
This community, which transcends borders, supports each other and shares experiences, is what makes the system so strong and unique.
Greetings from politics & the wine industry
Former Environment Minister Peter Altmaier, Winegrowers’ President Klaus Schneider and Member of the Bundestag Isabel Mackensen-Geis (SPD) delighted the winegrowers with congratulatory speeches. In his congratulatory speech, Peter Altmaier emphasised that Fair and Green combines entrepreneurial action, social responsibility and holistic sustainability. Klaus Schneider emphasised the important role that Fair and Green plays in the German Winegrowers’ Association and the important topics such as sustainability and the promotion of biodiversity. You can find an excerpt of Altmaier’s greeting in the following video.
Winegrowing President Klaus Schneider praised the development of the system, which has established the concept of sustainability in viticulture within 10 years with its 150 member companies in 10 countries. He also says that the FAIR’N GREEN seal is highly recognised within the industry and that the association carries out important project work. Member of the Bundestag Isabel Mackensen-Geis (SPD) is the SPD’s spokesperson for winegrowing policy and is connected to winegrowing through her constituency of Neustadt-Speyer. Fair and Green as an important building block for more sustainability in viticulture.
‘Science, innovation and sustainability’ -
a speech by Prof Dominik Durner
Professor Dominik Durner heads the dual study programme (B. Sc.) Viticulture and Oenology at the Neustadt Wine Campus and has also been a member of the scientific advisory board of Fair and Green e. V. for many years. On the occasion of the anniversary, he gave a speech entitled ‘Science, Innovation and Sustainability’. He emphasised that the association had ‘recognised from the outset that sustainability only works if it focuses on the future.’
He addressed important topics such as climate change and the associated consequences for viticulture, agriculture and society as a whole, as well as the loss of biodiversity as a result of climate change. He praises Fair and Green’s approach because the association’s sustainability efforts are successfully and measurably counteracting the loss of biodiversity.
Also the Fair and Green’s multifaceted commitment emphasised Durner, describing the association as a certifier, network institution, player in the research and development landscape and promoter of young scientists by awarding the Sustainability prizes CARLO Thesis Awardwhich honours theses that deal with a research question related to sustainability in viticulture.
Panel discussions of the members
Another item on the programme was several panel discussions between members on individual topics. In an initial round of talks, the board and founding members Andrea Wirsching, Clemens Busch, Meike Näkel, Reinhard Löwenstein and Stefan Braunewell discussed a Review and outlook for Fair and Green. Everyone agreed that sustainability is essential for the future of viticulture and that Fair and Green has already achieved a great deal in its 10 years of existence. For the future, however, it is important to communicate even more strongly to the outside world how important the concept of sustainability is.
The second panel discussion focussed on the topic ‘An international sustainability concept – FAIR’N GREEN in Europe’. International members Elena Sanchez from Portugal (Bodegas Granbazán and Bodegas Baigorri), Antonio Soares Franco from the Portuguese winery José Maria da Fonseca, Monica Hasler from the Swiss Winery Rütihof and André Mehlen from the Domaines Vinsmoselle cooperative in Luxembourg gave insights into the sustainability efforts in their respective countries and the motivation to become FAIR’N GREEN-certified.
In a third round of talks, member companies from the areas of the upstream and downstream wine value chain had their say and spoke about holistic sustainability. Dagmar Ritter (Jacques’ Weindepot), Gert Reis (Amorim Cork Germany), Guido Walter (walter & sohn) and Theresa Morand (Vollherbst Druck) spoke about the levers available within their industries to make the company more sustainable and the positive impact Fair and Green has here. Dagmar Ritter, for example, emphasised positively that the FAIR’N GREEN questionnaire is very comprehensive and thus reflects a really good picture of the current state of a company and at the same time shows further development potential very well.
Congratulations from members
Congratulations on 10 years of FAIR'N GREEN! Visionary top winemakers and Dr Keith Ulrich developed the image of sustainable agriculture, which became a comprehensive concept. In Zusammenarbeit mit führenden Wissenschaftlern aus der Branche geht die Entwicklung seitdem weiter. As winegrowers, we benefit enormously from expert advice, but we also have to constantly improve. This not only helps us and viticulture, but also leads us to more climate protection with gentle pressure. That's good! We toast to the future with FAIR'N GREEN! Andrea Wirsching and the team from Franconia.
Sincere congratulations to all the wineries and the FAIR'N GREEN team on their 10th anniversary. Sincere CONGRATULATIONS on this great pioneering work in the field of lived and practised sustainability. CONGRATULATIONS on the practical, future-orientated and innovative work that has been done here for a decade. It is great to be a part of this work and I look forward to the next 10 years of collaboration and further development.
Sustainability 2013? We were quicker than the zeitgeist in founding the association. The initial feedback was correspondingly frustrating. We discussed and discussed and optimised the concept further and further. The seeds are now being sown: The number of members is growing rapidly and Fair and Green enjoys a reputation as one of the best sustainability systems in the world. Not a cheap indulgence trade in a static system, but the driving force behind a dynamic movement that encourages sustainable and future-proof behaviour through sound research and advice. As a founding member of FAIR'N GREEN, I would like to congratulate us on our 10th birthday.
10 years of commitment to holistic and sustainable viticulture - a special anniversary! My team and I are delighted to be part of FAIR'N GREEN's success story and wish it a steadily growing number of members and lots of energy for the realisation of new ideas and concepts over the next 10 years! Here's to good co-operation!
Congratulations on the anniversary of Fair and Green e. V.! The association has been committed to sustainable viticulture since 2013. It is inspiring to see how FAIR'N GREEN is making an important contribution to preserving our environment and leading viticulture into a sustainable future. May your mission continue to be successful and bring positive change for many years to come. Happy anniversary!
We congratulate Fair and Green on 10 successful years, which feels like a great ‘beginning’! We are very proud to have been part of it since the beginning!
10 years of FAIR'N GREEN - 10 years of JUWEL wines. It's great that we have become a member in our anniversary year 2023 of all years. Congratulations from the bottom of my heart! Ten years ago, FAIR'N GREEN brought to life a vision that is indispensable for our society. A big THANK YOU to all the people behind our shared mission! I look forward to the rest of the journey and send my very best wishes, Juliane
Juhuuu 10 years Fairn and Green ! Congratulations to you.
We are very much looking forward to the next few years with you.
Dear Fair and Green Team, It was a wonderful party! Many thanks to all of you for your commitment, which made it possible for us to celebrate like this! And of course also for your daily work for FAIR'N GREEN, without which there would have been no celebration at all. Ich freue mich auf die nächsten 10 Jahre mit Euch!