How One Brewery is Reducing Its Carbon Footprint
The craft brewing industry is no stranger to environmental conservation. Whether it’s using recycled plastic can holders, thoughtfully repurposing brewing byproducts, or paying careful attention to wastewater treatment, these policies are often publicly lauded, and rightfully so. But one brewery’s plans to protect its local environs may, by comparison, make some of these efforts appear as if they are missing the forest for the trees.
BrewDog, a brewery and pub chain headquartered in Scotland, recently announced that it was purchasing over 2,000 acres to create its own forest, simply called BrewDog Forest. Working in close partnership with an expert in sustainability, it has endeavored to calculate its carbon footprint, with the long-term goal of removing twice as much carbon from the air than it emits each year. In pursuit of this goal, the brewery aims to plant over 1 million trees in its eponymous forest. By investing in the environment and designing a plan to more than offset its emissions, it’s clear that BrewDog hopes to reap what it sows.
Though such a large-scale strategy may not be practical or even possible for smaller breweries, it effectively ups the ante for the brewing industry in general. Of course, conservation efforts of any kind, no matter how small, should be applauded, but this type of dedication demonstrates just how important it is for some breweries to invest in more than just their business operations. It will be interesting to watch how this approach unfolds for BrewDog, and whether it ultimately has an impact on its profits as consumers take note of its plan. If it sees a noticeable uptick in sales, breweries of all sizes may be advised to follow suit however they can, since it’s not hard to imagine that a brewery’s financial success is not only tied to the quality of its product, but is also firmly rooted in its commitment to the environment.
Categorized: Donations, Innovation
Tagged In: BrewDog, carbon footprint, conservation, environment, sustainability
