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“Carbon neutral is no longer enough, and businesses should be having a positive impact on the planet” – BrewDog
In an announcement that came with all the bombast that BrewDog is famous for, the Scotland-headquartered global craft brewer declared that it will soon be ‘carbon negative’ and removing more CO2 from the air than it emits.
Founded in a garage by James Watt and Martin Dickie in 2007 BrewDog has grown into an international operation that exports to 60 countries and runs 102 bars around the world. And BrewDog’s declaration comes with the brewery’s belief that business should have a positive impact on the world, that the planet was at a tipping point, and just being ‘carbon neutral no longer enough.
All of its breweries will become carbon neutral over the next two years: while investment in local brewing sites continue to reduce the distance beer needs to travel to consumers.
As part of the company’s £30m climate action program BrewDog has purchased 2,050 acres of Scottish Highlands just north of Loch Lomond, to create the BrewDog Forest. And it plans to plant one million trees on that land over the next few years… The company will also be restoring 650 acres of peatland in the Highlands because peat is also an effective carbon offset (who knew?).
BrewDog also plans to create a sustainable campsite on the land, which will host sustainability retreats and workshops for the general public, in addition to inviting its 130,000 Equity Punks investors to help with tree planting from early 2021.
(Courtesy BrewDog)
“Our carbon. Our problem… So, we are going to fix it ourselves” James Watt, co-founder of BrewDog explains…
The scientific consensus is clear: we are sleepwalking off the edge of a cliff. Unless the world confronts the urgent carbon problem, science tells us that the results will be catastrophic. There has been too much bullshit for too long.”
“Governments have proved completely inept in the face of this crisis. The change our world and society needs, has to come from progressive business and we want to play our role and nail our colors to the mast.”
Work on the BrewDog Forest is expected to start in early 2021. In the meantime, the company has initiated several earth-friendly projects …
- BrewDog’s brewery in Scotland and UK its bars are now wind powered
- BrewDog turns its spent grain into green gas to power the brewery
- It is building an onsite anaerobic digester to turn wastewater into clean water, and produce CO2 to carbonate beers
- It is electrifying its vehicle fleet
- In building local brewing sites across the UK, EU, US and Australia, it has significantly reduced the miles its beer travels to reach the consumer.
