The Donne della Vite association returns to the issue of social sustainability in the wine supply chain, with a conference to be held Nov. 15 at the Castello di Gabbiano winery in Mercatale Val di Pesa (Florence). 
“It is a topic that is particularly close to our hearts, and during the conference we will explore it in depth from different aspects, which we believe are useful for wineries,” said the president of the Donne della Vite, Valeria Fasoli, explaining that “there is a lot of talk about the other two pillars of sustainability, the environmental and the economic, but little or nothing of real value has been said so far on this delicate topic. The ambition,” she continued, “is to provide definitions and insights to implement social sustainability in reality and, of course, to drop it in the agricultural world in general and more specifically in the viticulture world. “Sustainability includes aspects involving the social dimension, which is embodied in the need for compliance with labor law regulations, but also embraces the concept of worker well-being,” recalled lawyer and university lecturer, Silvia Rolandi.
“When we certify sustainability, for example with the Equalitas standard, which is of particular interest to the wine sector, as Valoritalia,” pointed out operations director Giuseppina Amodio, “we also check the company’s respect for workers’ rights and its choices on social issues, which moreover has become an important discriminator in consumers’ purchasing choices. But to “really do” social sustainability, companies need standards and guidelines to refer to. “As part of dedicated research projects at the University of Verona,” says Laura Calafà, a lecturer at the University of Veneto, “we are working to prevent and contrast labor exploitation and caporalato in agriculture, promoting the chain of responsible agriculture, not only in the Veneto but also in neighboring regions, thanks to the drafting of guidelines to prevent labor exploitation in agriculture, useful for companies to avoid infiltration by the criminal underworld and to avoid penalties. So there are many aspects that will be discussed in depth by the speakers and debated in the round table that will follow, with the participation of Stefania Saccardi, vice-president and alderman for Agribusiness of the Tuscany Region, Marco Caprai, CEO of Arnaldo Caprai, Francesco Caselli, CEO and agronomist of Castello di Gabbiano, and Laura Passera, founding member and advisor of the Donne della Vite association.
