Carlsberg moves towards industry-leading sustainability ambitions

“Our clear targets and ambitions reflect the mentality of our founders to always strive for perfection and contribute to society through science. The world needs leadership, which is why we have made it a top priority to improve the world of tomorrow in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” said Cees t’Hart, CEO of Carlsberg Group.

The targets follow Carlsberg Group’s new sustainability programme “Together Towards ZERO,” as part of which it commits to eliminate carbon emissions and halve water usage at its breweries by 2030. An intermediate step includes the exclusive use of renewable electricity at breweries by 2022.

Together Towards ZERO is a response to increasing consumer demand for sustainable products in a time of global challenges, such as climate change, water scarcity, and public health issues. The programme is an integral part of Carlsberg Group’s SAIL’22 strategy and consists of four major ambitions - ZERO carbon footprint, ZERO water waste, ZERO irresponsible drinking, and a ZERO accidents culture - each with individual and measurable targets (overview in appendix 1).

The programme has been developed in partnership with leading global experts using a science-based approach. It is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and sets out to deliver emission reductions that go beyond the base level of ambition set out in the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The ambitions and actions are driven by Carlsberg Group’s purpose of brewing for a better today and tomorrow and the group will continue to work together with leading global experts to achieve the bold targets. Building on its strong scientific foundation, the group will establish a community of young scientists led by the Carlsberg Research Laboratory - home to ground-breaking discoveries, such as the pH scale, purified yeast, and climate-tolerant crops. The Carlsberg Young Scientists’ Community will help foster further scientific developments within CO2, water, and sustainable brewing to the benefit of the group and the wider society.

“Global challenges, such as climate change and water scarcity, require strong collective action, and with Together Towards ZERO we are setting new industry standards for science-based and partnership-driven sustainability as part of our SAIL’22 strategy,” said Cees’t Hart.

“We are committed to delivering zero carbon emissions and halving water usage at our breweries by 2030. As a first action, we will switch to 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2022 and co-operate with partners to protect shared water resources in selected water-scarce areas. I am certain that in achieving our targets we will create efficiency improvements, risk reduction, and a more resilient business that exists in harmony with local communities and the environment,” he added.

Together Towards ZERO has been supported by the Carbon Trust and WWF International.

“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,” said Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust.

“WWF and Carlsberg Group jointly analysed the water risks in their operations and the group’s existing water strategy. We are delighted that Carlsberg has set an ambitious direction for other companies to follow as a result of this. It recognises that responsible water management requires technological breakthroughs at brewery level as well as collaboration with other stakeholders in high-risk catchment areas to secure long-term water availability for people, planet and businesses,” said Jochem Verberne, Global Partnerships director at WWF International.