Millennial generation attitudes to sustainable wine: an exploratory study on Italian consumers

Although much has been written about sustainable food consumption in the last few decades, obtaining reliable information on consumer preferences for new social/ethical and eco-labeled products can be an arduous task. At the same time, there has been increased academic and professional interest in the wine consumption behavior and attitudes of so-called Millennials (individuals aged between 18 and 35). Indeed, this generation has grown up in a period where new wine attributes (i.e. beyond origin, price and brand) have gained great importance, specifically those concerning environmental, ethical and social issues associated with conventional production practices. Nevertheless, Millennial consumer preferences and purchase decisions of sustainable wines have not been truly investigated. Based on a survey of 500 Italian respondents, we assessed Millennial consumer interest and willingness to buy three wines with specific labels certifying environmental, social and ethical attributes, namely a carbon neutral wine, wine produced on land confiscated from a criminal organization, and wine that devolves money to African institutions that combat AIDS. Our findings reveal that the label related to social features (Libera Terra) obtains the highest patronage rate (almost 75% of respondents). Applying a probit model, estimates show that living in an urban area, being female and older (age cohort 27-35) significantly increases the probability of buying sustainable wines. The results are particularly useful for marketers and entrepreneurs since studies that compare different sustainability aspects of wine are particularly scant and no research has yet focused on Italian Millennials.