Fourth edition of Wine and Work: Equalitas and Lights On Work together on the theme of the employment challenge. Equalitas President Riccardo Ricci Curbastro: “Social sustainability key piece for wine companies. Invest in training as a lever for personal as well as professional growth.”
Fourth edition of Wine and Work, the permanent table promoted by Equalitas and Lights at Work for a collective discussion on the issue of employment as a social right and main driver of sustainable development. At the conference, moderated by Nerina Di Nunzio (marketing and communication expert and university lecturer), training professionals, companies, associations and consortia from the world of wine gathered in the magnificent spaces of the Ffortress of Montepulciano, to better direct active labor policies in order to chart a shared path that will promote the growth of the Italian wine sector.
The focus of the conference is on training as a key asset for the human, as well as professional, growth of operators in order to incentivize innovative and sustainable behavior as a strategic lever of business competitiveness. Sustainability, is in fact one of the most sought-after assets for workers, who are increasingly oriented toward companies with a green profile and, in parallel, one of the main drivers of consumer purchases. This is an increasingly topical issue that is not only about environmental concern but encompasses all social and human aspects, in terms of meeting the needs of staff, increasing dedication to work and the well-being of today’s and tomorrow’s workers. For this reason, during the meeting, the key role of consortia emerged as a driver of investment in training in order to avoid the disconnection between wine companies, territory and human resources. A set of elements aimed at enhancing the natural and inescapable combination that should represent one of the core values of an appellation.
“That ofthe employment challenge, as the title of the conference reads,” says Riccardo Ricci Curbastro, president of Equalitas. is for us one of the inescapable topics of the current wine market, as well as a foundational aspect of Equalitas‘ certification activities. Thus, there is an increased need to invest in labor policies to strengthen the connection between the territory and the skills and traditions of the men and women who are part of it. This link enshrines the success of the wine, the winery and facilitates the territorial development of the rural reality in which it is rooted; therefore, it is necessary to intervene with targeted strategies and initiatives in a sustainable way. Despite increasingly complex climate dynamics and complicit with evolving trends in the industry, social sustainability, in terms of training, safety and job satisfaction, is now an issue that needs to be questioned for the present and future of the wine market.
The conference was attended by Denis Pantini (Agrifood and Wine Monitor Business Unit Manager), Michele Distefano (Foragri Director), Vincenzo Conso (President Foragri), Paola Parmeggiani (Director ITS Eat), Claudia Piroddi (Quality Manager Barone Ricasoli), Stefano Mantegazza (Secretary General UILA), Silvia Liggieri (Sustainability Manager Consorzio Prosecco Doc), Domenico Bova (Manager ANPAL Servizi). Influential industry personalities who took turns during the meeting shared the need and urgency to invest in training to know how to respond to the new challenges of the wine market.
In this scenario, the synergistic action of businesses and institutions is necessary in order to outline new professional figures, competent on the technical side, sensitive to environmental ethical issues and akin to the value background of the reference reality. This is a direction with a twofold effect: on the one hand, ensuring that the company has a professional profile suited to the increasingly global and innovative wine market, and on the other hand, an increase in worker awareness and satisfaction, a key element that contributes to the company’s sustainable development.
