Get SWO Certified in 2025
Are you ready to embark on your journey towards Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario (SWO) certification?
SWO certified wineries and vineyards are caretakers of the land, good community partners, climate action leaders, and invested in social equity and diversity. Becoming certified effectively demonstrates your commitment to sustainability while improving the efficiency of your operations, engaging your team, and meeting marketplace expectations.
To help get you started, we’ve outlined five practical steps to guide you on your certification journey.
1. Define Your Sustainability Mission
Start with your “why”. Why is sustainability important to your winery or vineyard?
Develop and define your sustainability missions by taking time to reflect on how sustainability aligns with your values, long-term goals, and the impact you want to have on your community and the environment. Consider engaging employees or customers to gather insights into what sustainability means to them. A clear mission statement will serve as your north star, inspire your team, and communicate your sustainability commitments.
2. Track Data and Document Practices
We’ve all heard the adage: “you can’t manage what you don’t measure”. Certification is supported by detailed data and documentation tracking. Completing these steps will identify gaps and improvement opportunities to guide your strategy while also preparing you for the audit process. Start by measuring and tracking key metrics like water use, energy consumption, and waste management, and aim to gather historical data if possible—ideally over the past 2-3 years. Gather supporting evidence such as receipts, reports, policies and KPI logs to further document your efforts. Reliable data will create a benchmark and help guide decision-making when developing your sustainability action plan.
3. Set S.M.A.R.T. Targets and Foster Accountability
Using the insights from step 2, set S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals to bring your action plan to life and keep your team focused on working towards a shared goal. For example, if energy consumption has been identified as an improvement opportunity, you may aim to reduce energy use by 10% within a year. Review your goals frequently and adjust as needed. Remember – even small goals can have a big impact!
Regular check-ins and employee training will help ensure progress and collaboration towards goals.
4. Begin Your Winery and/or Viticulture Survey
One of the best ways to get started on your SWO certification is to access the viticulture and winery surveys through the Grape Growers of Ontario portal, eGrape. You may begin the survey at any time, and the portal allows you to input, save, and return to your responses at your own pace and see how you measure against the program’s standards. No commitment to certification is required to complete the survey. Beginning the survey in combination with Step 2 will help you identify priority topics, areas for improvement, and documentation or data gaps. Should you pursue certification, the survey is followed by an independent third-party audit to assess your practices. With a passing score of 75%, you’ll be on your way to earning your SWO certification!
5. Mentorship and Support
The team at Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario is here to support you every step of the way on your certification journey and ensure your success. You can reach out to the accredited SWO Program Ambassadors listed below to discuss the certification process.
2025 Intake is Open!
Join the 147 vineyards and 45 wineries that have achieved SWO certification. Together, we are shaping a sustainable future for Ontario wine.
For more information view our SWO Certified Fact Sheet and watch the SWO certification process webinar.
Questions and inquiries about the program can be directed to info@sustainablewinegrowingontario.ca
Andrea Kaiser – Drea Wine Co & SWO Committee Chair
Helena McKinney, Ontario Craft Wineries- SWO Program Lead & Communications Manager
Keara White, Grape Growers Ontario- Grower Relations & Survey System Administrator
Your Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario Ambassadors
