Scottish craft brewer BrewDog is going 'carbon negative', with the announcement of a series of investments aimed at fighting climate change and boosting sustainability.
The business has purchased 2,050 acres of land in the Scottish Highlands, north of Loch Lomond, onto which it plans to plant one million trees over the next few years – part of a £30 million action plan incorporating a range of green investments.
The brewer also plans to create a sustainable campsite on the land, that will host sustainability retreats and workshops for the general public.
It also plans to invite its 130,000 'Equity Punks' investors to help with tree planting from early 2021.
Atmospheric Carbon
“Woodland creation of this scale is at the forefront of the fight to sequester atmospheric carbon in the UK and the BrewDog Forest will be one of the largest native woodlands created in the UK for many years," commented David Robertson, director, Scottish Woodlands.
The brewer aims to remove twice as much carbon from the air than it emits every year, and will also be working on a number of carbon offsetting projects, alongside scientific advisor Professor Mike Berners-Lee and his team at Small World Consulting.
'Huge Change'
"Huge change is needed right now, and we want to be a catalyst for that change in our industry and beyond," commented James Watt, co-founder of BrewDog.
"We fully acknowledge that we are a long way from perfect. However, we are determined to rapidly and fundamentally change everything as we work hard to ensure we have a positive impact on the planet.”
Elsewhere, BrewDog's brewery and UK bars are now wind powered, while the business has also turned spent grain into green gas which powers its brewery. It is building an anaerobic digestor, to turn waste water into clean water, and is investing in the electrification of its fleet.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
