Carlsberg Group achieves carbon-neutral brewery
Carlsberg Group has announced that its brewery in Falkenberg, Sweden, is now 100% powered by biogas and green electricity, making it the first big brewery in the country with zero carbon emissions from its energy consumption.
Carlsberg Group has announced that its brewery in Falkenberg, Sweden, is now 100% powered by biogas and green electricity, making it the first big brewery in the country with zero carbon emissions from its energy consumption.
Earlier this year, the Carlsberg Group launched a new sustainability program—Together Towards Zero. One of its four ambitions “Zero Carbon Footprint” is supported by a target to eliminate carbon emissions from all breweries and achieve a 30% reduction in the beer-in-hand carbon footprint by 2030. To achieve the ambitious targets, Carlsberg Group’s breweries will use 100% renewable electricity and eliminate coal as a source of energy by 2022.
Carlsberg’s brewery in Falkenberg has been using green electricity for many years and 26% of the thermal energy comes from biogas generated from the brewery’s own wastewater. The remaining 74% has so far been natural gas, which has now, in cooperation with energy supplier Ørsted AB, been converted to biogas with certificates ensuring that the biogas supplied to the grid has replaced an equivalent amount of natural gas.
In Sweden, the well-functioning infrastructure and availability of biogas from the grid makes it possible to convert to fully renewable sources by buying green energy, while other solutions will be deployed for markets where this is not an option. As part of its Together Towards Zero program, Carlsberg has said it will rely on the best available options for developing and sourcing sustainable energy, including the establishment of solar panels and purchasing renewable energy where possible.