A report in The Drinks Business said that 26 wines from the Cape region are to carry South Africa’s new ethical seal, guaranteeing fair labour practices.

The seal is outlined and audited by the country’s Wine Industry Ethical Trade Association (WIETA) and precludes the use of child labour, asserts that employment should be freely chosen and that all employees should have the right to a healthy and safe working environment.

Among the conditions it sets are that workers should have the right to freedom of association, a living wage and to be protected from unfair discrimination. Worker housing and tenure security rights should also be respected.

The ethical seal is granted to individual wines as opposed to the wineries themselves. It is modelled on South Africa’s existing sustainability seal which was established in 2010. To be entitled to carry the ethical seal from one vintage to the next, brand owners also have to enter into an annually renewable, legally binding agreement with WIETA.

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