Originally seen as a marketing pretext, sustainable development is also a response to economic considerations which can no longer be made light of.
The effects of global warming on the production and consumption of wine have been taken into account, but this isn’t enough: consumers are calling for producers at the start of the production line act to in a responsible way, and insist that their providers do too. In most developed countries, the rules of good social, economic and now environmental governance make their way onto the agendas of the lawmakers.

Previous articles on sustainable development:

What new chance for agricultural policy? (26/07/2007) €
South Africa: Biodiversity and Wine Initiative meets success (03/10/2007)
Amorim publishes first report on sustainable development (09/10/2007

Considering environmental obligations isn’t the only duty of sustainable development. This global approach is made up of three overlapping areas of interest: Environmental, social and economical. (see guide SD 21000 AFNOR)

· Environmental-social: for practical development = this means taking charge of environmental risks as well as the integration of the business in its human environment (labour pool, community life and citizenship)
· Social-economic: For equitable development = this includes the respect of social rights and rules of good governance = participation of employees, transparency in the communication of objectives and their endorsement by subscribers and personnel; care of climate quality and social dialogue; financial and social anticipation of consequences of strategic choices on actors.
· Economic-environmental: for viable development = this includes economic strategies of resources and energy, eco-design problems, the evaluation of by-products, industrial ecology, taking into account life cycles of products and services.

Practicing sustainable development allows a company to improve its image thanks to communication strategies geared towards respect of the general interest. Within the wine industry, in particular, the vision of the long term future registers in a win-win situation between the producer and its partners, clients and providers.

· Transparency = key word : “trust as an asset” Transparency allows the consumer to trust the reliability of the information the producer provides = Transparency in internal communication (objectives, strategic orientations etc.) is matched by transparency in external communication (production methods, figures etc.)
· Credibility = the other driving force behind using trust as an asset: credibility is directly linked to what the producer can show they have achieved. = he must make sure he gives clear examples (“making use of by-products”) of what has been achieved in concrete and calculated form (so many by-products have enabled so many savings)
· Humility = A sustainable approach to business development takes the logic of production and substitutes obligations relating to the means, for obligations relating to the end result. It recognises the right to make mistakes, the virtues of experimentation and of sharing experiences.

The union is a strong one, especially on important subjects but returns on the investment are calculated only in the long term. In effect, to be sustainable, practical, equitable and viable development is above all a long term project which requires a real change in the culture of production and consumption. The polemic which accompanies this change talks of the common good more than of the market value which will be created. Investors are tempted to devote a minimum of their communication budget to it; this is why they stand to gain by pooling these marginal contributions.

The depths of the subject lends itself much better to collective communication than the message “sustainable development” is characterised by a message which is both

· Global : (this affects everyone), which can be ignored on the sectorial level: it is in the interests of all the producers involved that wine, all wine, is perceived as a product which can be produced in an environmentally responsible way. Because of this, individual members of the group become more well known and gain capital sympathy by being identified as a member of this initiative.
· Involving: because of the right to make mistakes and the value placed on experimentation, a group that exchanges tips for improvement and good practice is more credible in this step than an isolated individual. This communication only has the lore impact on the consumer.