Together Towards ZERO and Beyond: Case Stories

A new regenerative brew for the UK

Our journey towards 100% regenerative barley in the UK has begun. In 2023, CBMC contracted 23 UK farmers to grow regeneratively grown barley. 

Drinking from wooden cups

Soon, music and sports enthusiasts in Switzerland will be drinking beer from renewable, compostable wooden cups.

Pioneering a new model for renewables in the Baltics

In Lithuania, our local brewery, Švyturys-Utenos Alus, is going beyond with a new power purchase agreement (PPA) increasing the country’s renewable capacity.

Protecting Swiss waters

Our Swiss beer brand Feldschlösschen is committed to the renaturation, purification and protection of the lakes and rivers that play a vital role in Switzerland’s ecosystems and beautiful landscape.

Underwater bar highlights perils of drinking at sea

In 2022, Carlsberg Sweden highlighted a serious problem in Sweden: the risks of drinking at sea during the summer boating season.

Boosting rice yields sustainably in Laos

Over the last three years, we have been working with 30 farmers in Laos to trial more sustainable farming methods for growing rice as a raw material for our local brews.

1.2

Carlsberg Malaysia advocates the importance of responsible drinking by rolling-out a month-long #CelebrateResponsibly campaign at its sponsored music festivals throughout the country.

Carlsberg Group joins the Planet Pledge

In 2021, Carlsberg Group joined major consumer businesses and advertisers from around the world in signing up to the World Federation of Advertisers' Planet Pledge.

Together, we will deliver change in our own organisations and supply chains that contributes to the global Race to Zero campaign to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Standing up for LGBTQ+ rights

In New York City, Brooklyn Brewery has been a proud partner of the Stonewall Inn since 2017, when the brewery was asked to create a beer to help raise awareness, generate funds and create real change for the LGBTQ+ community and the nonprofit The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative (SIGBI).

Planting seeds of hope by restoring seagrass in the UK

Our Carlsberg brand is partnering with WWF in the UK to restore this precious resource and raise climate awareness through a high-profile consumer campaign.

Launching glass bottles with up to 90% lower carbon impact

A partnership with glass bottle supplier, Encirc, could take us a step closer towards a ZERO Carbon Footprint, with a trial demonstrating the possibility to cut the carbon impact of glass bottles by up to 90%.

Snap. An innovation to reduce plastic

We’re constantly trying to make everything about our beers better. Snap Pack is one of the results. It replaces shrink wrap and plastic rings on multipacks, cutting both our plastic usage and carbon emissions.

First heavy-duty electric trucks

In 2021, we introduced a fleet of 20 electric delivery trucks in Switzerland – the largest in the country. Renault report that this is their first contract on this scale in Europe, demonstrating that electric trucks are a commercial and operational reality. It was the result of investigations into alternatives to diesel for our fleets of trucks, to cut the carbon emissions of delivering our beer.

Partnering to shrink our shared footprint

With 87% of our value chain carbon footprint outside our operations and direct control, partnering is key to reducing our beer-in-hand emissions.

Halving water usage at Fredericia brewery

At our Fredericia brewery, Denmark, we are constructing a state-of-the-art water-recycling plant to reuse 90% of process wastewater – a result of a public-private partnership with DRIP. It will provide learnings for our breweries around the world.

Alcohol-free beer on tap

People are increasingly looking for great-tasting alcohol-free brews (AFB) as a positive choice. In 2019, we saw a 7% volume growth of our AFBs, with our brands now available in 69 markets. We couldn’t have achieved this without our partners.

Going for 1.5

We have had approved science-based targets aligned with the 1.5°C target within the Paris Agreement since 2017, and recently committed to achieve net zero in our value chain by 2040.

Deposit return scheme launched in Latvia

On 1 February 2022, a national deposit return scheme was launched in Latvia for the first time. By the end of the year, 8,650 tonnes of packaging – around 228 million items – had been returned for reuse or recycling.

Rethinking the barley supply chain

The barley used to make our Kronenbourg 1664 Blonde beer is changing.

Promoting sober driving in Poland

In Poland, we have teamed up with experts and celebrities to run the public education campaign “Trzeźwo Myślę” – “I Think Soberly” – for the past six years.

Empowering drivers to spot and change unsafe behaviours

Road safety remains one of our biggest risks. Driving 25,000 miles a year on business is the third most dangerous work-related activity that anyone can be involved in.

Turning brewing by-products into feed and fertiliser

The majority of our production waste is made up of spent grains and waste yeast – totalling around 1.3 million tonnes a year from our breweries around the world.