Lion becomes Australia’s first large-scale carbon neutral brewer

Australian food and drinks company Lion has become the country’s first large-scale carbon neutral brewer. 

In addition to the company’s carbon reduction programme with the acquisition of certified carbon credits, Lion has now offset its remaining organisational carbon footprint across its Australian beer business. 

In November 2019, Lion revealed its intent to achieve Climate Active certification in 2020. Today, the company has established a ‘whole brewery’ carbon reduction approach across its breweries, achieving a 28% reduction (approximately 30,000 tonnes) in its absolute carbon footprint of an estimated 106,000 tonnes of CO2 in 2015.

Other approaches fostered by the company, include: Energy efficiency initiatives, biogas utilisation, rooftop solar, renewable energy power purchase agreements (PPAs) through to providing brewers grain to reduce livestock emissions. All of which have led to this significant reduction.

Lion is on track to meet its carbon reduction target by 2025, having committed to use 100% renewable electricity to brew its beers in the same timeframe.  

Lion CEO, Stuart Irvine said: “By resetting our emissions to net zero, we’re sending a strong message to our people and our supply chain that we are deepening our collective responsibility to measure, manage and reduce our emissions, and we remain fully committed to doing so, despite the challenges we are facing in our business and across the industry as a result of Covid-19.

“We see offsetting our emissions as a last lever while we continue to look for ways to reduce our overall carbon emissions right across our supply chain over the longer term.

He continued: “Our breweries continue to push the boundaries of efficiency and adopt industry-leading innovation. Speed is of the essence in stabilising the climate.

“That is why we are effectively throwing a safety net over our remaining operational CO2 footprint – giving consumers the confidence that our range of fantastic beers – from XXXX GOLD, to Tooheys New and Little Creatures – will be produced in carbon neutral breweries.”