Equalitas: The Equalitas-Assobenefit protocol has been signed, the common good and excellent Italian wine join forces.

On one side, there's the movement of businesses whose mission, by design, is to create value for the community, beyond profit. On the other, there's the SOPD Equalitas Standard, which allows the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of Italian wine to be measured and certified through independent third-party verification.

The common goal is to spread the Benefit model among certified companies in the winemaking sector, a symbol of Made in Italy excellence .

The Assobenefit-Equalitas alliance will be more effective in engaging with Italian and European institutions, especially in light of upcoming legislative and regulatory developments.

Assobenefit President Marco Morganti stated: " We recognize Equalitas as a valuable ally for a priority objective: creating supply chains and mission districts , that is, systems in which Benefit organizations share values and goals of common benefit and transform them into added value for production, communities, and the local area. This is how we strengthen Made in Italy towards Benefits in Italy ."

Equalitas President Riccardo Ricci Curbastro added: " Benefit Corporations and SOPD Equalitas certified companies speak the same language: that of those who choose to account for their impact and not just their financial results. With this protocol, we provide the Benefit movement with a standard that measures environmental, social, and economic sustainability, from vineyard to bottle, using objective requirements and third-party verification. For a wine company, choosing to become a Benefit means making a public commitment to its local area and community. The SOPD Equalitas Standard provides the tools to demonstrate this with verifiable data, every year ."

The memorandum of understanding envisages a multi-pronged commitment: training and information , with in-depth discussions and joint initiatives aimed at organizations adopting the Benefit model. Support for the creation and transformation of Benefit Corporations in the winemaking sector. Similar agreements are being developed in related fields, such as agricultural production, food processing, and regulations related to Italian specialties.

Equalitas numbers

Certified organizations in: ITALY, SPAIN, and SWEDEN

OS MODULE - 508 CERTIFIED OPERATING UNITS

PS MODULE - 188 CERTIFIED PRODUCTS

DpS MODULE - 1 CONSORTIUM

AV MODULE (NURSERY GROWERS ASSOCIATION) - 1 ASSOCIATION

ASSESSMENT FORM FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS - 2 service companies

Total approved labels: approximately 19,300 , total approved labels with the "Sustainable Winery" and "Sustainable Wine" trademarks