SCOTTISH craft brewer BrewDog has announced that it has become the world’s first carbon-negative international beer brand.
Setting out its belief that carbon neutral is no longer enough in the fight against climate change, it said that it will remove twice as much carbon from the air than it emits every year, unveiling a climate action program with a £30 million green investment plan throughout the business.
As part of the move, the brand has purchased 2050 acres of land just north of Loch Lomond in order to create the “BrewDog Forest” with plans to plant one million trees over the next few years, creating 1400 acres of native woodlands as well as 650 acres of peatland restoration.
Work on the Forest is expected to start early next year. In order to double-remove all of its carbon, until work begins it will be working on a series of projects with offset partners.
The plans also involve creating a sustainable campsite on the land for sustainability retreats and workshops, in addition to inviting its Equity Punks investors to help with tree planting.
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BrewDog CEO James Watt said: “The scientific consensus is clear: we are sleepwalking off the edge of a cliff.
“Unless the world confronts the urgent carbon problem, science tells us that the results will be catastrophic.
“Governments have proved completely inept in the face of this crisis. The change our world and society needs has to come from progressive business and we want to play our role and nail our colours to the mast.”
Watt went on: “Huge change is needed right now, and we want to be a catalyst for that change in our industry and beyond.
“We fully acknowledge that we are a long way from perfect.
“However, we are determined to rapidly and fundamentally change everything as we work hard to ensure we have a positive impact on the planet.”
David Robertson, director at Scottish Woodlands, added: “Woodland creation of this scale is at the forefront of the fight to sequester atmospheric carbon in the UK and the BrewDog Forest will be one of the largest native woodlands created in the UK for many years.”
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