The Australian Government has announced it will invest $435,000 in the grape and wine sector through a cutting-edge carbon emissions project under the National Agricultural Traceability Grants Program.

The project focusses on tracing carbon emissions along the supply chain between Australia and Singapore, and will showcase Australia’s expertise in data-enabled traceability systems and, in doing so, provide strong potential to improve the competitiveness of and trust in Australian wine in Singapore and other Southeast Asian export markets.

Australian Grape & Wine (AGW) CEO Lee McLean welcomed the funding announcement.

“These grant rounds are highly contested so we are honoured to be announced as a successful applicant, particularly at a time when building our export credentials is so important for grape and wine producers,” said McLean.

“The project will not only establish robust traceability credentials for Australian wine but it will build capacity within the sector, putting Australian wine producers on the front foot when it comes to dealing with emerging global sustainability and climate reporting standards.”

Together with a consortium of partners and advisors, which includes the South Australian Government, Sustainion by Turnkey, More than Machines, Wine Australia, Amazon Web Services, Hill-Smith Wine Estates and Treasury Wine Estates, Australian Grape & Wine will develop a secure data exchange platform along with a range of tools and resources to enable efficient monitoring and analysis of the emissions involved in getting a product to market.

AGW said the project, entitled ‘Tracing Carbon Emissions in an International Wine Industry Value Chain between Australia and Singapore’, will “provide a platform for building sustainability and provenance in our export markets, but it will grow our industry’s capacity in terms of how we share, use and benefit from new data technologies.”

“It will generate valuable insights for stakeholders to identify areas for emissions reduction at the same time as demonstrating how collaboration across international borders can work towards achieving sustainability goals.”

The consortium of project partners brings considerable expertise in the fields of carbon emissions tracking, data analytics, and sustainable supply chain management.

One of the consortium’s key partners, Singapore-based Sustainion by Turnkey said it believes the project will “enhance the competitiveness of sustainably grown and produced Australian wines in the international market.

“This helps Australian wine producers and growers optimise their supply chains from a carbon emissions perspective, thus demonstrating Australia’s and Singapore’s commitment to addressing carbon emissions at an international cross-border scale.”

Amazon Web Services also expressed their excitement about collaborating with the project partners to explore how digital technologies, such as AI and Generative AI, can sustainably transform the Australian wine industry.

“Innovation is key to achieving sustainability goals, as is digital technologies which can help organisations overcome challenges such as value chain traceability and decarbonisation of supply chains,” said the company.

Deputy Secretary of Agricultural Trade and Regulation Group, Tina Hutchison, extended a “huge congratulations” to the successful applicants, describing the project as “vital work to grow new and existing markets and build confidence in Australian products that are safe, sustainable, and traced through all stages of production”.

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