IWCA welcomes 12 new applicant members

Image: Château Troplong Mondot. Credit: Cecile Perrinet Lhermitte

International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) has accepted 12 new applicant winery members from around the globe who have committed to tackle the severity of the climate crisis by taking immediate action to reduce their carbon emissions.

These new applicants bring the total IWCA membership to more than 20 wine companies spanning seven different countries and five continents.

Since its founding in 2019, IWCA has focused on strengthening the institution to better serve its global members and expand their impact.

The organisation registered as a 501(c)6 non-profit organisation, now overseen by a seven-person board of directors.

In July of this year, it on-boarded a secretariat in Meridian Institute, a non-profit consultancy with expertise in multi-stakeholder collaborative processes and institution-building, including in the climate, agriculture, and supply chain sustainability spaces. They are supporting daily operations, including facilitation, communication, and coordination, as well as helping execute the organization’s strategic goals.

“When Katie Jackson of Jackson Family Wines and I co-founded IWCA in February 2019 as a working group, we wanted to act and move beyond conversation around the urgency of climate change,” said Miguel A. Torres, President of Familia Torres.

“Our goal was to gather the most environmentally committed wineries, and we hoped our initiative would work as a boost for other wineries to accelerate or start their carbon emissions reduction programs.

“It is therefore great to see that now with 12 new applicant members joining, we are more than 20 wineries worldwide. We are convinced that this will have a multiplier effect, especially in combination with the appointment as Secretariat of the renowned Meridian Institute.”