March 17, 2026 (Milian, Italy) — Argea has joined the Stronger Together Italia programme, becoming the first private company in the Italian wine sector to support the initiative developed by the non-profit organisation Stronger Together in collaboration with EQUALITAS and supported by the Scandinavian monopolies Systembolaget (Sweden), Vinmonopolet (Norway) and Alko (Finland).
The move is part of Argea’s broader commitment to strengthening the social dimension of sustainability across its entire production chain. Stronger Together is an international non-profit organisation that works with businesses to help prevent labour exploitation through training programmes, operational tools and collaborative initiatives that promote responsible recruitment practices and fair working conditions across supply chains.
Stronger Together programmes are currently active in several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Mexico and South Africa, where the organisation works with companies, institutions and industry stakeholders to strengthen worker protection across agriculture and the agri-food sectors, as well as in industries such as consumer goods, apparel, construction and logistics.
STRONGER TOGETHER WINE PROGRAMME
The programme dedicated to the wine sector helps wineries, bottlers, distributors, winegrowers and agricultural producers identify and mitigate the risks of labour exploitation within their supply chains.
Through training workshops, operational guidelines and supplier management tools, Stronger Together helps companies improve transparency in labour recruitment practices, recognise potential risk situations and strenghen oversight across the supply chain.
Since 2022, the organisation has been working with EQUALITAS and several Italian regional consortia to promote training and best practices within the wine sector. Over the past four years, thanks to the support of the three founding sponsors Alko, Systembolaget and Vinmonopolet, the programme has delivered more than 33 practical and interactive workshops, both online and in person, and has trained over 490 professionals from the Italian wine industry, representing more than 390 companies.
Among the resources provided to support the implementation and adoption of relevant processes and policies are:
- a six-step Checklist offering step-by-step guidance to strengthen human rights due diligence;
- policy templates and additional operational resources;
- multilingual informational posters for workers.
The guidelines provided are aligned with international standards set by the ILO and the OECD, as well as with national legislation, including Italian Law 199/2016 against illegal labour exploitation, applicable to companies and their supply chains.
ARGEA’S COMMITMENT
Argea’s participation marks a further step in the Group’s ongoing efforts to strengthen social responsibility, safety and worker protection within its supply chain.
Among the initiatives already in place is the Argea Wine Supply Chain Sustainability Pact, a collaborative programme with major suppliers. In 2025 it involved 28 partner wineries, accounting for more than 60% of the wine purchased by the Group. The project promotes shared standards on quality, traceability, workplace safety, human rights and environmental sustainability throughout all stages of production.
At the same time, Argea has implemented a structured ESG supplier qualification and monitoring system. In 2025 it involved 752 suppliers overall, with 88% of wine suppliers successfully completing the ESG qualification process. The system includes ethical and social audits, document reviews and on-site inspections, also aligned with the principles of the international SA8000 standard, with the aim of ensuring safe working conditions and respect for workers’ rights.
“Joining Stronger Together marks an important step in Argea’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the social dimension of sustainability across the entire supply chain,” comments Michael Isnardi, Group QHSE & Sustainability Director at Argea. “As the first private wine group in Italy, we believe it is our responsibility to contribute to the development of increasingly high standards and to the cultural growth of our industry, promoting supply-chain management models based on transparency, accountability and the protection of people. We hope initiatives like this will progressively involve an increasing number of companies in the industry.”
“We are delighted to launch this partnership with ARGEA, which demonstrates a strong commitment to proactively addressing the challenges of responsible labour practices in the Italian wine industry,” says Giosuè De Salvo, Programme Manager of Stronger Together Italia. “Our goal is to support companies in creating safe and inclusive working environments, and together with ARGEA we will be able to reach an even greater number of producers, workers and key stakeholders.”
ABOUT ARGEA
Argea was established in 2022 following the acquisition of Botter by the private equity group Clessidra and the subsequent integration of Mondodelvino, creating the largest private wine group in Italy.
In March 2023 the Group further expanded with the addition of the wine assets of Cantina Zaccagnini. Argea brings together diverse companies within a shared project based on quality, development and sustainability, aiming to involve leading players in the Italian wine sector while preserving their identities as expressions of Italy’s finest winemaking traditions.
Argea was created with the ambition of becoming an accelerator for the Italian wine ecosystem worldwide. In line with this goal, in 2025 the company acquired WinesU, a historic US wine importer.
Today the Group exports a diversified portfolio of Italian wines to more than 85 countries, supported by a wide sales network in markets such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Scandinavian countries, as well as regions with growing interest in Italian wine including China, South Korea and Canada.
www.argea.com
About Stronger Together
Stronger Together is an impact-driven non-profit organisation that provides businesses with practical training, resources, business services and collaborative programmes with the aim of creating a world in which all workers are recruited responsibly and can work under fair conditions, free from exploitation.
Stronger Together website: https://www.stronger2gether.org/
Stronger Together Italia website: https://www.stronger2gether.org/it/
LinkedIn Stronger Together Italia: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/stronger-together-italy
Email: giosue@stronger2gether.org
