OUR RESPONSIBILITY

We’ve joined the Zero Carbon Forum

We are official members of the newly formed Zero Carbon Forum, pledging our commitment to decarbonising our business for future generations. The Zero Carbon Forum is a non-profit organisation, empowering members to reach sustainability targets with more speed, efficiency, and profit as a united effort. 

With defined roadmaps – backed by peers, government, and leading sustainability experts – the Zero Carbon Forum has ambitious net-zero targets (to eliminate operational emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero across supply chains by 2040). Read more about the Zero Carbon Forum here, and view the roadmap here.

We will be setting our own net-zero targets this year, so watch this space for further updates.

Zero Scope 2 emissions

When renewing our energy contracts in June 2020, we switched to REGO (Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin). As a result of procuring 100% REGO backed renewable electricity, we were able to declare zero Scope 2 emissions, from July 2020 onwards. This reduced our carbon emissions by 11.2% in just four months. 

When combined with the significant reduction in consumption as a result of Covid-19 restrictions, our CO₂ emissions decreased by 40.2% in the 12 months to December 2020.

Green CO₂ supply

We’ve made the switch to a 100% renewable and sustainable CO₂ supply – both in St Austell and at our sister site, Hare Brewery – home of Bath Ales. CO₂ is a crucial component in the brewing and production process. Examples of its uses include the carbonation of our packaged beers, the purging of road tankers, and the pressurising of kegs.

Our new supply is sourced locally from green energy specialist, BioCarbonics Ltd, which generates green CO₂ from maize grown in the South West. The maize is broken down naturally via a process called anaerobic digestion, which produces the gas. Being a local supplier also reduces road miles. Read more about our supply here.

Solar arrays

Our solar arrays at St Austell Brewery, Hare Brewery, and our Central Distribution Centre produced enough electricity to power over 100 homes in 2020, reducing our emissions by over 90 tonnes of CO₂. We hope to implement further projects to strengthen our renewable credentials in future, as technology in this area continues to develop.

Our suppliers

As a business, we’re 100% committed to local and sustainable sourcing. We are passionate about ensuring everything we do is both environmentally sound and economically valuable. We expect the same of our suppliers and their interconnected supply chains, so only seek to work with companies that share our values.

When making agreements with new suppliers, across our business, we always ask to see a copy of their Corporate Social Responsibility policy first. This is important to us. We ask plenty of questions and follow a rigorous process to ensure that they meet our standards before welcoming them on board. This includes considerations about human rights, health and safety, and their ethical policies when making buying decisions.

Supporting the local economy

We have built up a trusted network of local West Country suppliers over the years, the vast majority of which are based in Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset, and many are family-owned. We are proud to say that all of the food and drink we serve our customers is purchased from suppliers in our South West heartland, and we’re committed to sourcing as much sustainable local produce as we possibly can. 

For example, all fresh fish served in our managed Cornish pubs is now guaranteed to be caught in Newlyn, and all our dairy is sourced from Rodda’s - a 130-year-old, family-owned creamery in Cornwall. 

Working with local farms

We source barley from local farms, reducing road miles. In total, almost 900 acres of Cornish farmland has been cultivated to grow Maris Otter – exclusively for the brewery – which has the potential to produce up to 1,500 tonnes of barley.

Our former Brewing Director, Roger Ryman – who sadly passed away in May 2020 – set up the Cornwall Maris Otter Partnership in 2002. His aim was to reintroduce the variety as a staple crop in the county and form long-lasting relationships with farmers, to ensure a ready supply for the brewery. The partnership is one of our key initiatives in supporting the local economy and cutting transport mileage. Our commitment to local sourcing was instrumental to the business receiving a Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development in 2018.

Our green fleet

Our new fleet vehicles are 100% hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or fully electric. As a business, we are no longer procuring pure petrol or diesel cars – a huge step forward in reducing our carbon emissions. We will shortly be installing charging points at our breweries in St Austell and Bath, Heathfield depot, and CDC.

Since its launch in 2003, the St Austell Brewery Charitable Trust has been supporting local charities, good causes, and individuals in need across the South West.

The Trust is funded by contributions from the Brewery, along with donations and money raised through fundraising events held by our tenants, head office staff, managed house teams, and free trade customers. To date, the Charitable Trust has raised over £850,000. One of our biggest fundraisers since the Trust first launched is the annual Celtic Beer Festival. Held in the Brewery cellars, the event has so far generated more than £200,000. Every penny goes straight back to local communities where it is needed most. 

Our Charity of the Year for 2021 is the Marine Conservation Society – a UK charity campaigning for a cleaner, better-protected, healthier ocean. The charity tackles threats to habitats and species by working closely with communities, businesses, and governments, organising beach cleans and shaping government policy. We donate 20p from each portion of fish and chips sold in our managed houses to the charity. 

Other charities supported by the Trust include the RNLI, Cornwall Air Ambulance, Children’s Hospice South West, Macmillan Cancer Support, and many others. Over a third of all money raised is donated to individuals and small local groups across the region. In Christmas 2020, we donated £20,000 to foodbanks near our breweries in St Austell and Bath, and thanked key workers by donating £5,000 to NHS Charities Together, which represents and supports the work of official NHS charities throughout the South West and beyond.

The Trust also donates towards individual causes on a regular basis – over £26,000 in 2020. These donations varied from small local charities to individual pieces of equipment like wheelchairs which have transformed people’s lives. We have seen a marked increase in requests since the pandemic and continue to think of ways to fundraise in order to help those in need in our communities.