Pioneering beer brand BrewDog continues to trailblaze market innovation and into the minds of Millennials with an impressive pledge to go beyond carbon neutral at its breweries, including Brisbane’s DogTap.
BrewDog is the UK’s biggest independent craft brewer, gaining near cult status with its approach, and flagship beer Punk IPA.
The company has now taken the unprecedented step to become carbon negative, saying it will now remove twice as much carbon from the air every year as it emits. The program makes it the first carbon negative international beer brand in the world, tapping its credo to have a positive impact on the planet by fighting climate change.
The Scottish brewer’s plans are set out in a AU$55 million (£30 million) climate action program involving green investments across its business.
Key to the program is the 2,050-acre BrewDog Forest purchased in the Scottish Highlands north of Loch Lomond, where it plans to plant one million trees by circa 2022, making it “one of the largest native woodlands created in the UK for many years”.
Work is expected to start on BrewDog Forest early 2021, later incorporating a campsite for hosting sustainability retreats and workshops.
Down Under, BrewDog Australia is adopting green infrastructure initiatives including solar panels, set to supply a significant amount of the DogTap’s energy demands, providing all spent grain to feed Queensland cattle, and creation of a “sustainable drive-thru”.
To meet the ambitious pledge target, until planting begins at BrewDog Forest the brewer will be working with partners to offset all excess C02 emissions, such as Carbon Neutral’s Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Project.
The bold move is founded in BrewDog’s belief that carbon neutral is no longer enough, and that businesses should be having a positive impact on the planet. The team worked closely with Small World Consulting’s Professor Mike Berners-Lee – one of the world’s leading experts in carbon foot-printing and sustainability – who stresses the pending crisis after decades of inaction.
“The scale and speed of the change we now need is enormous, and cuts right across politics, business and every corner of society,” says Berners-Lee.
“The good news is that if we are smart about our transition, we can make our lives better at the same time as making them more sustainable.
“With the actions laid out in this report, BrewDog is giving some of the leadership the world so badly needs. They are raising the bar for the business world, both in their strong carbon-cutting action and their straight talking.”
BrewDog co-founder James Watt says after calculating their carbon footprint they see the need to be part of the solution.
“Our Carbon. Our Problem. So, we are going to fix it ourselves. Huge change is needed right now, and we want to be a catalyst for that change in our industry and beyond.
“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.
“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 colours to the mast.”
The approach is likely to garner even more support for the brand from Millennials (born 1981-2000), who are arguably the most concerned generation when it comes to environmental sustainability and social issues, and now make up around 30 per cent of the world’s population.
Last November BrewDog unveiled its shiny new state-of-the-art brewery and taproom: the DogTap, in Murarrie. A significant part of the drive to invest and open in Brisbane was to massively reduce the miles their beer had to travel to reach the consumer.
BrewDog Australia has now launched its first Brisbane-brewed headliner beers, fronted by the beer that started the brand’s revolution, Punk IPA, alongside Hazy Jane New England IPA, Elvis Juice Grapefruit Infused IPA, and a West Coast classic Pale Ale.
BrewDog Australia has also joined forces with hundreds of breweries around the world to launch Black is Beautiful – a limited-edition Imperial Stout.
Black is Beautiful aims to help bring awareness to the injustices faced by people of colour. It was conceived by Marcus Baskerville, founder and head brewer of Weathered Souls Brewing in Austin, Texas, who wanted to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
The campaign has garnered support from over 1,100 breweries in 20 countries. Participating breweries use the same base stout recipe and label, while individual head brewers can add their own twists or ideas for a unique brew.
Brewers donate 100 per cent of the beer’s proceeds to a local organisation aligned with ending systemic racism.
All proceeds from BrewDog’s 9%ABV Black is Beautiful stout are being donated to All Together Now – an organisation dedicated to promoting racial equity and educating Australians about racism.
