Planting seeds of hope by restoring seagrass in the UK

Seagrass is no ordinary plant. It is a natural superhero with the power to absorb carbon up to 35 times faster than a rainforest* and provide habitats that enable ocean wildlife to thrive. But this “underwater Amazon” is under threat. In the UK alone, more that 90% of seagrass meadows have been lost.

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.

Carlsberg has made it easy for consumers to do their bit to protect the planet simply through their choice of beer. That is because we donate 50p to WWF from every special-edition pack of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner and Carlsberg Expørt sold to support the seagrass restoration project. 

WWF has used this funding to start scoping work, including identifying areas along the UK coastline that would be most suitable to grow seagrass, with an ambition to plant seeds that will grow into 30,000 m2 of seagrass meadow by 2024. The consumer campaign led with a TV ad featuring a seal that takes viewers under the waves to the seagrass meadows below. A second ad starring a turtle focuses on our Snap Pack, an innovative solution to hold multipacks of cans together without plastic rings.

*McLeod E, et al. 2011. A blueprint for blue carbon: toward an improved understanding of the role of
vegetated coastal habitats in sequestering CO₂. Front. Ecol. Environ. 9, 552-560. (doi:10.1890/110004).

“With such high levels of public concern about environmental issues, we’re delighted to be working with Carlsberg to inspire new audiences to fight for their world. Their donation helps us restore precious seagrass along the UK coastline, which provides an important habitat for ocean wildlife as well as absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.”

Alex Lankester, Director of Partnerships, WWF