Title: Sustainability and regenerative leadership in the viticulture industry: a case study in the transformation of a leading California winery and vineyard

Authors: Josh Prigge; Art Whatley

Addresses: Fetzer Vineyards, 12901 Old River Road Hopland, CA 95449, USA ' Hawaii Pacific University, 1166 Fort Street Mall, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813, USA

Abstract: Organisations are increasingly aware of the impact of their behaviours on stakeholders, communities and on living systems. This awareness stems from the ever increasing evidence that all economic activity makes demands on the natural world through resource extraction and waste assimilation. Industrial agriculture makes huge demands on natural resources and produces prodigious amounts of waste in need of disposal. This case study examines how one large winery and vineyard has successfully made the transition from a traditional, singular focus on profitability to becoming initially a sustainable enterprise and more recently a regenerative company. The company has demonstrated that financial success, industry leadership, and brand and company recognition are optimally realised by committing to environmental wellness, community health, employee welfare and regenerative organisational design strategies.

Keywords: restorative leadership; regenerative leadership; sustainable agriculture; sustainable viticulture; sustainable wines; sustainability leadership; triple bottom line; TBL; biomimicry; B Corp; backcasting; zero waste; net positive; case study; USA; United States; California; wineries; vineyards; sustainable development; environmental wellness; community health; employee welfare; regenerative organisational design.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSE.2016.079448

International Journal of Sustainable Economy, 2016 Vol.8 No.4, pp.295 - 311

Received: 18 Jan 2016
Accepted: 23 Apr 2016
Published online: 28 Sep 2016 *

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