Equalitas Recognitions
Albert Heijn, Albert Heijn to go, Albert Heijn Belgium, Etos, Gall & Gall (Ahold Delhaize group)
The retailers within the group require their suppliers to comply with sustainability compliance policies.
In addition to the general compliance policy, the group has adopted a specific policy for wine, which also approves local and sector-specific standards as equivalent to cross-sector certifications. The wine policy, with a complete overview of the accepted standards — including Equalitas — can be requested from the quality department by wineries.
Alko
Equalitas Wine certification is included in the list of Certified Alternative Customer Communication concepts of the Finnish state monopoly, Alko. Equalitas wines are entitled to be placed on a shelf dedicated to sustainable products.
Bennet
Bennet, an Italian retailer with hypermarkets and superstores located in Piedmont, Lombardy, and Liguria, has decided to give visibility to the Equalitas trademark. Certified companies supplying the group have been required to display the Equalitas certification mark on the labels of their bottles.
Coop Consorzio Nord Ovest (CCNO)
CCNO, an Italian retail chain in the north-west, has carried out a mapping of its suppliers regarding the impacts of their production activities on human rights and the environment. To carry out this analysis, CCNO asked its suppliers to undergo a self-assessment against the major requirements of the Equalitas Checklist 4.2.
In addition, CCNO has decided to offer certified suppliers the opportunity to benefit from its investments in sustainability, by requiring the application of the Equalitas certification trademark on bottle labels, in order to better promote products from sustainable companies and to encourage co-marketing initiatives.
On the portal coopshop.it (https://www.coopshop.it/acqua-e-bevande/vini-tipici-e-doc) it is possible to search for products by selecting those marked as “Equalitas certified – Sustainable Winery”.
Eurospin
Eurospin, an Italian chain also present in Slovenia, Croatia, and Malta, has decided to give visibility to the Equalitas trademark, requiring the application of the Equalitas trademark on the bottle labels of certified companies supplying the group.
Jumbo
Jumbo, a retailer present in the Netherlands and Belgium, has formally recognised the validity of the Equalitas certification, exempting companies from undergoing Smeta audits.
Marks & Spencer
In order to comply with a number of sustainability requirements set by Marks & Spencer — a British multinational with stores in the United Kingdom, India, Egypt, Russia, Greece, Ireland, France, Poland, Finland, Hungary, and Spain — the Equalitas certification can be used. In particular, it is among the environmental certifications useful for fulfilling the Environmental standards point of the Global Sourcing Principles.
Pinnacle Drinks (Endeavour Group)
Pinnacle Drinks, an Australian retailer, has formally recognised the validity of the Equalitas certification, exempting companies from undergoing Smeta audits and from registration on the Sedex portal.
SAQ (Société des Alcools du Québec)
The Equalitas certification entitles wines to a score increase in the selection of wines submitted to the Quebec monopoly SAQ, as it has been included in the
Liste des certifications reconnues dans le cadre du projet d’affichage responsable: https://marketing.saq-b2b.com/SAQ_B2B/Politiques_et_Normes/Certifications_DD_an.pdf
Systembolaget
- The Equalitas Wine (Sustainable Product) certification has been included in the short list of those accepted by the Swedish monopoly, Systembolaget, for the “Our most sustainable beverages”
Systembolaget’s “Our most sustainable beverages” initiative (in Swedish: Hållbara val) is a labelling system designed to help customers easily identify products meeting high standards in four key areas: environmental certification, packaging, social responsibility, and traceability.
- Tenders: most tenders issued by Systembolaget require either the product to come from a sustainable company or the product itself to be certified as such. Some tenders allow access through the possession of a certification chosen from a list of options, while in some cases the range of eligible certifications is narrowed down, eventually reaching, in some instances, the Equalitas certification alone.
Vinmonopolet
- The Equalitas Wine (Sustainable Product) certification has been included among the “ethical projects” which entitle certified wines to be placed on dedicated shelves at the points of sale of the Norwegian monopoly, Vinmonopolet.
The list of “approved” certifications is available at this link: www.vinmonopolet.no/sertifisertetisk
- Tenders: most tenders issued by Vinmonopolet require either the product to come from a sustainable company or the product itself to be certified as such. Some tenders allow access through the possession of a certification chosen from a list of options, while in some cases the range of choices is narrowed down, eventually reaching, in some instances, the Equalitas certification alone.
BRCGS
BRCGS and Equalitas have developed a joint audit protocol against the BRCGS ETRS (Ethical Trade and Responsible Sourcing) and SOPD Equalitas standards.
From the comparison of the requirements of the two standards, of their respective scopes of application, and of the audit procedures, an audit protocol has been developed which allows them to be verified jointly.
Crédit Agricole Italia
Crédit Agricole Italia has officially integrated the Equalitas Standard into its credit assessment model.
For certified Organisations, this translates into preferential access to credit and reduced interest rates.
Immediate benefits for certified Organisations:
Thanks to the recognition of the ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) criteria embedded in Equalitas, certified wineries can access the AGRI BLU credit line, dedicated to the sustainable transition:
- Subsidised rates: favourable economic conditions compared to standard financing.
- Financial flexibility: unsecured loans (up to 5 years) or mortgage-backed loans (up to 20 years), at fixed or variable rates.
- Covered investments: financing for the purchase/renewal of machinery and facilities aimed at:
- Water efficiency and wastewater management.
- Emission reduction (Scope 1 and 2) and biodiversity.
- Circular economy and climate adaptation.
To benefit from the subsidised conditions (in line with the CAP Regulation), the Organisation must provide:
- A valid Equalitas certification.
- Cerved Scoring (Outside-in) with a minimum rating of “Medium”.
- IAP attestation (Professional Agricultural Entrepreneur status) and documented experience in the sector.
- Compliance with social-security obligations (Evidence of regular contributions).
Federation Española del vino
The FEV (Spanish Wine Federation) and Equalitas, with the aim of aligning their visions and their sustainability standards in order to provide the market with a joint view of how sustainability is interpreted by a broader Italy–Spain system, have signed an agreement which, among other things, provides for mutual recognition between the two Standard owners, albeit with some limitations. This means, for example, that — apart from a few details — a winery certified Equalitas can also request the issue of a certificate under the Iberian protocol Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection.
Masaf
Equalitas is the only “private” protocol that has been invited to take part in the working group for the drafting of the so-called “public sustainability standard”, established by Ministerial Decree no. prot. 0124900 of 16 March 2022. The working group set up (named COSVI) included the participation of Federdoc, the main Member of Equalitas, and, between the end of 2021 and the first months of 2022, compared the SQNPI, Viva, and Equalitas protocols, identifying a few but significant additional requirements with respect to those prescribed by the National Integrated Production Quality System (SQNPI). Starting from the SQNPI base, and adding the aforementioned additional requirements, the public sustainability standard was developed.
Veneto Region
Equalitas is among the certifications that entitle producers to incentives for Amarone and Valpolicella:
https://bur.regione.veneto.it/BurvServices/pubblica/DettaglioDecreto.aspx?id=423341
The Sustainability Consortium
Equalitas has been authorised by the marketing office of the TSC to publicise the recognition of the value of its initiative through the use of the following claim:
“The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) agrees that Equalitas’ sustainable wine guidelines meet TSC and retailers’ expectations in order to adopt an official sustainability code for their winegrowers”.
Equalitas promotes collaborations with bodies sharing its mission and vision, building partnerships based on the definition of common objectives and joint activities between the parties involved.
Among the many collaborations of Equalitas, those with bodies engaged in promoting the culture of organic viticulture — such as AIAB and FederBio — are of particular importance for the sector.
Aiab
In 2023, an agreement was signed in Rome between AIAB and Equalitas with the aim of promoting a sustainable agricultural model based on the expertise and experience of the two organisations. Transparency and fairness in communication are an essential requirement to foster attention to consumer health, animal welfare, biodiversity, respect for the environment, and social justice.
Assobenefit
In March 2021, Equalitas and Assobenefit signed a memorandum of understanding to foster the growth of the Benefit Corporation model in the wine sector.
The collaboration includes joint training and awareness-raising initiatives aimed at companies wishing to adopt an approach consistent with the Benefit corporation business model, while at the same time adopting the sustainability standard developed by Equalitas as the ideal tool for assessing their performance, in compliance with the Italian framework law.
Assobenefit – www.assobenefit.org – the association aims to contribute to the establishment, in Italy, of a new economic model of sustainable development based on the founding principles of Benefit Corporations: by encouraging the creation and transformation of new Benefit Corporations; by promoting the dissemination of good practices and the resulting legislative evolution; and by developing relationships and joint actions with similar Italian and international entities pursuing the same aims.
FederBio
In 2024, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Equalitas and FederBio, the inter-professional organisation that promotes and protects Italian organic agriculture and production. The agreement aims to support an integrated approach, shared by institutions, companies, and operators in the wine sector, on the topic of sustainability of organic farming.
At the heart of the agreement is the promotion of an approach combining organic certification with the Equalitas Standard as a model for environmental and social protection, and as a constant challenge for wine companies, which are increasingly attentive and sensitive to these issues.
Legambiente
Legambiente and Equalitas have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote holistic sustainability in the Italian wine supply chain, based on three pillars: environmental, economic, and social. The agreement aims to spread agroecological practices, protect biodiversity and water resources, while also ensuring fair labour conditions and combating greenwashing in the wine sector.
Link: Protocollo di intesa Equalitas-Legambiente – EQUALITAS
MASAF- OIV
Equalitas operating staff take part, as members of the Italian delegation, in the work of the SUSTAIN group of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).
New Green Revolution (NGR)
New Green Revolution, the well-known Umbrian initiative, has decided to “recognise” Equalitas as the reference project at national level. Certification against the Equalitas Standard entitles, upon specific request, also the use of the NGR mark.
OriGIn
OriGIn, the international network organisation for geographical indications, considers Equalitas an example to be regarded as a “benchmark” for its own “GIs in the Time of Sustainability” initiative.
Porto Protocol
Equalitas and the Porto Protocol Foundation have signed an agreement aimed at establishing a collaboration in which they agree to cooperate to actively promote and contribute to the capacity development of stakeholders in the wine supply chain, in the face of the challenges posed by climate change.
Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR)
Equalitas is among the Founding Members of the Sustainable Wine Roundtable. SWR is the only international, independent, non-profit roundtable involving numerous stakeholders of the wine sector. Through collaborative initiatives, it is enabling the wine community to become a leader in the field of sustainability.
Sustainable Wines of Great Britain (SWGB)
Equalitas and Sustainable Wines of Great Britain have signed an agreement aimed at supporting retailers, suppliers, and wine producers seeking to pursue sustainable development from a social, environmental, and economic perspective, thus creating the potential for both organisations to work together.