Distributing wine globally: financial and environmental trade-offs

Purpose Given that currently around ten billion litres of wine are transported long distances to overseas consumers per year, the purpose of this paper is to provide a foundation for understanding the trade-offs between cost, water usage and carbon emissions in decisions about the location of wine bottling plants in a global supply chain. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a case-based analytical modelling study and employs actual data from one of Australia’s major wine companies. A descriptive analytical model is developed for assessing wine supply chain scenarios using three indicators of economic and environmental impacts – supply chain cost, risk-weighted water usage and carbon emissions. Findings The research highlights trade-offs required when considering optimal supply chain design, and finds possibilities for reshaping a global wine supply chain in order to improve the selected economic and environmental impacts. Originality/value The originality of this paper lies in its analytical focus on examining the interplay between supply chain cost, risk-weighted water usage and carbon emissions in a global supply chain, which has not previously been addressed.