Having a relaxing drink in the local pub probably ranks fairly low down in the list of places that you are likely to start thinking about the environmental impact of the beverage you’re about to sip.
Whether your tipple of choice is a cold beer, a sparkling wine or something a little stronger, all alcohol production comes with an environmental impact. A typical 500ml bottle of beer uses 148 litres of water, while a single 125ml glass of wine uses as much as 110 litres.
Actually, the facts behind the environmental impact of beverages are quite daunting. A recent Kearney report found that in 2021, the industry emitted 1.5 billion tons of CO2e, totalling 3.8% of all global CO2e emissions. The report found that the industry is set to miss its 2030 and 2050 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and will need to improve its current reduction rate 11-fold.
It’s common knowledge that the food we eat, clothes we wear and the way we live affect the environment in a number of different ways – which just serves to make it more surprising that so few of us have considered the environmental effects of what we drink.
Luckily, brands are one step ahead of us.
Pernod Ricard – the home of spirits such as Absolut, Jameson, Malibu and Beefeater Gin – looks at its product sustainability journey from production right through to when it’s in the consumer’s hand.
“We start from agriculture, all the way down to the glass of the consumer – and then on to how packaging is disposed,” says Sandrine Ricard, Pernod Ricard deputy director sustainability and responsibility in the UK.
“We talk about sustainability as being from grain to glass,” she adds, as she explains how the world’s largest spirits and wine producer is finding the best and most sustainable route forward as the drinks industry navigates its road to net zero.
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Pernod Ricard: From grain…
“We have four clear areas of action in our sustainability strategy, the first of which we call ‘nurturing terroir,” highlights Ricard.
Terroir is a French term related to soil, climate and environmental factors that could affect a crop’s phenotype.
This is particularly important at Pernod Ricard as the company sources its natural ingredients from over 250,000 hectares of land across the globe, and the area where alcohol ingredients are grown contributes to the characteristics and taste of its final products.
As well as mapping its supply chain, Pernod Ricard is working with farmers to develop regenerative agricultural practices. The alcohol company intends to pilot regenerative agriculture schemes within owned vineyards in eight wine regions by 2025 and will be partnering with over 5,000 farmers to share this knowledge by 2040.
“The ‘valuing people’ pillar of our sustainability strategy also plays a huge role in nurturing terroir,” adds Ricard. “We work with our farmers to ensure they are empowered with regenerative agriculture practices and are putting them in place.”
…Right through to glass
Moving the beverage along to supply chain, to the consumer, Ricard highlights “valuing people, circular making and responsible drinking” as key factors in this area of Pernod Ricard’s strategy.
“Circular making is about responsible water consumption, energy efficiency, renewables and minimising waste,” she explains.
As part of the alcohol brand’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint by 50% – as it looks to achieve net zero by 2050 – the company is focusing on reducing its emissions across its operations, looking at renewable electricity and other alternative and renewable energies for sites and offices.
Focusing on creating sustainable packaging involves reducing the weight of bottles, removing plastics from labels, caps and secondary packaging and increasing recycled content.
“Within our packaging range, glass is the material we’re mainly looking for different options as it uses a lot of energy,” Ricard explains.
To combat this, Pernod Ricard brand Absolut Vodka is currently trialling a single-mould paper bottle, available in Manchester branches of Tesco.
Sustainability at Chivas Brothers
Whisky brand Chivas Brothers produces around 12% of Pernod Ricard’s overall emissions, making it a significant contributor to the company’s carbon footprint. Earlier this year, it deployed new highly efficient heat recovery technologies, reducing carbon emissions from the distillation process at its Scottish distillery by 48%.
The learnings from its heat recovery technologies have been made open source to support other distilleries in carbon emission reduction.
“The process also allows up to 53% energy reduction,” Ricard explains.
“We understand that putting this type of technology in place is very expensive, so our open-source data allows other distilleries to install heat recovery directly rather than going through a trial period.”
As part of the brand’s aim to reach carbon neutral distillation by the end of 2026, Chivas Brothers invested more than £60 million to implement more heat recovery technologies and install electric boilers across its other viable distilleries.
Pernod Ricard’s future focus
“At Pernod Ricard in the UK, we’re putting our focus into reducing our CO2 emissions due to the urgency of climate change,” says Ricard, adding that the brand remains committed to other areas as well, including “promoting regenerative agriculture practices and preserving biodiversity.”
“We will also continue to prioritise circular production methods, which involve responsible water usage, minimising packaging waste and enhancing energy efficiency throughout our operations.”
