Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions, Industrial  -  September 2, 2020

BrewDog becomes world's first carbon negative brewery

BrewDog became the world’s first international brewery to become carbon negative by investing £30 million into carbon removal and climate change projects.

The Scottish brewery implemented several green infrastructure projects, such as powering their British bars with wind energy, recycling wastewater and using an investment system that supports local brewing sites to shorten the supply chain, Forbes reported.

BrewDog has been working on their carbon footprint in collaboration with Mike Berners-Lee, the founder of the renewables and environment company Small World Consulting. Going forward, BrewDog plans to remove twice as much carbon from the air than they emit every year.

The company also recently launched their newest project, the BrewDog forest, in the Scottish Highlands. The 2,050-acre site will be the location where the company will plant one million trees and restore 650 acres of peatland over the next few years. Brewdog will also be working with offset partners to double remove all of their carbon until they are able to begin planting in the BrewDog forest in early 2021.

“Our Carbon. Our Problem. So, we are going to fix it ourselves,” James Watt, co-founder of BrewDog, stated. “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.”