Carlsberg Britvic has today published the final ESG Report from Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC), highlighting a landmark year for sustainability progress in 2024 – and setting a strong platform for the newly formed Carlsberg Britvic.
The report celebrates CMBC’s most impactful year to date under its Together Towards ZERO and Beyond sustainability programme, with standout achievements in packaging, regenerative agriculture, carbon and water reductions, and workplace safety.
Key achievements in 2024 include the full roll out of sustainable packaging across all 4- and 6-can multipacks at the business’s Northampton and Burton breweries, completely eliminating plastic rings from this packaging format with more sustainable solutions. Innovations included our Snap Packs, a glue-dot technology which bonds cans together, and KK Clips, a recyclable paperboard alternative. These innovations significantly reduce plastic waste from packaging at scale, serving as a major leap towards more circular packaging.
CMBC’s work in regenerative agriculture has also seen a significant expansion in 2024, with 1,736 hectares of farmland now supported. In total, 3,409 tonnes of regenerative malted barley have been grown, ready for brewing in 2025. This amount is enough for 63 million pints of beer, and the business remains on track to brew 100% of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner with regenerative barley by 2027.
Other key areas of progress include carbon emissions and water usage, which have dropped by 11.4% and 14.4% respectively since 2022. The Northampton Brewery, CMBC’s largest in the UK, saw a 19.6% fall in emissions since 2015, supported by £10 million in investment into new equipment, including a significant expansion of the Snap Pack capacity at the brewery.
CMBC has also scaled up its low- and no-alcohol options on its path to ZERO Irresponsible Drinking. With the launch of 1664 Bière 0.0, CMBC’s lower alcohol beers now account for 26% of the company’s product portfolio, with other options including Carlsberg 0.0, Erdinger Alkoholfrei and Brooklyn Special Effects available. Working with Drinkaware, CMBC’s responsible drinking partner, the business supported 684,000 completions of Drinkaware’s ‘Drinking Check’ – a tool to help people understand their relationship with alcohol – to achieve a 24% increase in completions year-on-year.
Paul Davies, CEO of Carlsberg Britvic, said: “This final CMBC ESG Report is a powerful reflection of how far we’ve come. In 2024, we took some of our boldest steps yet – eliminating plastic rings on key packaging, scaling regenerative barley farming to new levels, and significantly cutting emissions and water use. These achievements are a credit to our people, partners and values, and they lay the foundation for our ambition as Carlsberg Britvic: to lead the way in sustainable brewing and soft drinks.”
With the launch of Carlsberg Britvic in January 2025, the strong legacy of CMBC’s ESG progress will be built upon through a unified strategy that blends the strengths of both businesses.
To read the full CMBC ESG Report 2024, click the link here.