The Carlsberg Group has pledged to eliminate all carbon emissions from its breweries by 2030, taking the immediate step of transitioning to 100% renewable electricity by 2022.
The company has adopted the new targets under its Together Towards ZERO initiative, which recognises the increasing consumer demand for sustainable products.
To this end, the new goals have been set in an effort to fall in line with the Paris climate agreement. Carlsberg has worked with the Carbon Trust to set science-based targets for emissions reductions at a level which would meet the higher ambition of a 1.5 degree Celsius increase.
Cees ‘t Hart, CEO of the Carlsberg Group: “Global challenges such as climate change and water scarcity require strong collective action, and with Together Towards ZERO we’re setting new industry standards for science-based and partnership-driven sustainability.
“I’m certain that in achieving our targets we’ll create efficiency improvements, risk reduction and a more resilient business that exists in harmony with local communities and the environment.”
Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust, added: “Just getting better is no longer good enough. Carlsberg’s ambitions go above and beyond the levels of carbon reduction that science tells us are necessary to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.
“Carlsberg has taken a genuine leadership position on some of the most critical environmental issues the world currently faces, by developing an ambitious long-term business strategy that focuses on delivering a sustainable future.”
As well as the new targets for its breweries, the beer company will also engage with the partners within its supply chain to reduce ‘beer-in-hand emissions’ by 30% by 2030.
This refers the full life-cycle carbon footprint of a product, taking into account value chain impacts beyond the Carlsberg Group’s operational control, such as agricultural production, transport logistics and retail refrigeration.
The latest pledges follow recent progress made by Carlsberg through the adoption of energy efficiency technologies and initiatives which saw it reduce its energy consumption and cut emissions by 14%.
It also reported an increase in the amount of electricity it purchased from renewable sources, which reached 17% earlier this year.