CarTES - Charter for the Sustainable Food & Wine Tourist

CarTES – Charter for the Sustainable Food & Wine Tourist

October 9, 2024

The project

In the current context, adopting a sustainable approach to travel is highly relevant for institutions, industry operators and travellers. Despite international efforts, such as the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism signed in 2021 during COP26, and numerous awareness campaigns, travellers still often struggle to make truly sustainable choices during their trips. This gap is especially evident in food and wine tourism, where travellers increasingly seek sustainable, experience-based activities connected with the local food and wine heritage of the places they visit.

CarTES – Charter for the Sustainable Food & Wine Tourist was created to bridge this gap. Its goal is to provide concrete tools able to educate, empower and guide travellers, as well as tourism operators, towards more aware and sustainable choices.

This project is a first step in a broader path aimed at building a network of awareness and collaboration. The goal is to encourage the entire Italian agri-food and wine sector not only to remain a production excellence, but also to become a tourism benchmark through the spread of good practices and virtuous behavioural models.

The organisations that joined the project and developed the Charter for the Sustainable Food & Wine Tourist are: Associazione Italiana Turismo Enogastronomico, Associazione Nazionale Citta del Vino, Associazione Nazionale Citta dell’Olio, Federazione Italiana delle Strade del Vino, dell’Olio, dei Sapori, Iter Vitis, Terranostra-Coldiretti and Unpli – Unione delle pro loco italiane. The technical partner for communication and digitalisation is PG&W.

The Charter for the Sustainable Food & Wine Tourist

The “Charter for the Sustainable Food & Wine Tourist” is a real practical guide that promotes responsible behaviour in food and wine tourism. This concrete tool helps travellers discover local food and wine heritage while respecting the environment, culture and host communities.

It provides practical guidance on how to choose green-certified destinations, calculate one’s ecological footprint and adopt a healthy, sustainable diet such as the Mediterranean Diet, while also explaining the reasons behind these choices. The main goal of the Charter is to raise awareness and encourage conscious choices that reduce environmental impact and strengthen the connection with the local area.

The document is organised around three key moments: before, during and after the trip. In each phase, it offers principles, practical suggestions and recommendations to turn travel into an opportunity to promote sustainability.

Before the trip, travellers are invited to reflect on the kind of experience they want to have and on the importance of choosing destinations that promote sustainable practices, ideally certified at national or European level. The Charter also encourages travellers to rediscover rural and remote areas of Italy, where authentic experiences are possible while reducing pressure on local resources through careful trip planning and by favouring less crowded periods.

During the trip, respect for the host community becomes central. The Charter highlights the importance of supporting the local economy by purchasing products and services offered by businesses run by local residents. It also places strong emphasis on reducing waste, both food and energy-related, by promoting local and seasonal foods whose consumption supports local supply chains and lowers ecological impact. Travellers are encouraged to move sustainably, using transport options that reduce emissions and promote individual wellbeing.

After the trip, the Charter continues to encourage sustainable behaviour. Adopting a healthier lifestyle inspired by the Mediterranean Diet becomes a way not only to improve one’s health, but also to value Italian food and wine traditions. Sharing experiences on social networks is seen as a tool to spread good practices and inspire other travellers to make sustainable choices.

A fundamental aspect of the Charter is the detailed explanation of the principles behind every sustainable choice. Particular attention is devoted to reducing food waste, sustainable mobility, support for local economies and healthier, more sustainable diets. In this way, the Charter does not simply provide practical tips, but promotes a deeper reflection on the implications of one’s actions.