In one letter addressed to all wine entrepreneurs and wine producers, the twenty-two CEOs and top managers ofInternational Wineries for Climate Action call to unite efforts for decarbonise the wine sector and start working towards net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

They warn that a global change is imperative to stop the climate crisis, since if it is not carried out there could be "devastating consequences for our beloved wine regions and the wines we produce for people all over the world".

In their statement, they announce that the next decade will be decisive in facing the current environmental challenges and putting sustainability at the nerve center of all operations to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of wineries, transform the entire wine supply chain and create a support network to promote best practices.

Cork, the best ally

It is on this path towards sustainability that cork can become a great ally of the wine sector. Not only because it is a natural, recyclable and biodegradable 100% product, but because it has a negative carbon footprint; that is, it fixes more CO2 than it emits.

It is estimated that corks fix up to 14.7 million tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere annually and therefore actively contribute to reducing greenhouse gases, the main cause of climate change.

Besides, the cork is the most sustainable closure for wine bottles, it is a local product and its production favors the creation of qualified jobs in rural areas as well as the maintenance of the cork oak ecosystem, one of the most biodiverse in the world. Proximity is a very relevant characteristic of the cork sector; most of the world's corks are produced in the Iberian Peninsula and more than half of the world's cork forest is also on our peninsula.