Lion has become Australia’s first large-scale carbon neutral brewer. By complementing its carbon reduction program with the acquisition of certified carbon credits, Lion has offset its remaining organisational carbon footprint across its Australian beer business.
In November 2019, Lion signalled its intent to achieve Climate Active certification in 2020.
Since setting a target to reduce its carbon footprint by 30% by 2025 from its 2015 baseline, Lion has established a ‘whole brewery’ carbon reduction approach across its Australian breweries, including energy efficiency initiatives, biogas utilisation, rooftop solar, renewable energy power purchase agreements (PPAs) through to providing brewers grain to reduce livestock emissions.
In doing so, Lion has achieved a 28% (approximately 30,000 tonnes) reduction in its absolute carbon footprint of approximately 106,000 tonnes of CO2 in 2015. Lion is on track to meet its carbon reduction target by 2025 and has gone one step further by committing 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.
“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.”
Tasman Environmental Markets, Australia’s largest buyer of carbon offsets is providing Lion with a portfolio of verified projects to offset its remaining organisational carbon footprint. Lion is focussing on carbon abatement projects that deliver bush regeneration and protect vital habitat and food sources for native wildlife.
Lion is a Category One Member of the Drinks Association.