Carlsberg unlocks milestone: reduces carbon emission across the value chain by 16%

Founded in 1847 by brewer J.C. Jacobsen, the Carlsberg Group has emerged as one of the prominent brewing conglomerates on a global scale. Its diverse range of beverage portfolio and its ambition to achieve a zero-carbon footprint have solidified its position in the industry. After setting a goal of achieving a 15 per cent decrease compared to the levels seen in 2015, the organisation has accomplished a 16 per cent reduction in its value chain emission.

The most recent evaluation of Carlsberg Group's carbon emissions within its value chain affirms that Carlsberg has surpassed its 2022 aim for lowering carbon emissions across its value chain, including activities from recycling aluminium cans and PET bottles to barley cultivation. The importance of aluminium in reducing carbon emissions cannot be overstated. To know more about how aluminium has contributed to a sustainable future, read AL Circle's report on "Sustainability in the Aluminium Industry."

The emission decrease is a result of every important stage in the value chain of the Carlsberg Group:

• The breweries have reduced their carbon footprint by 41 per cent thanks to various measures, including cutting out coal, making better energy use, and using renewable power. They have also devised creative solutions, like using biogas extracted from wastewater treatment plants on-site to power their thermal operations.
• Reduced carbon intensity across the board and higher recycling rates for aluminium cans and PET bottles have contributed to an 8 per cent drop in packaging emissions; however, this success has been offset by an increase in the proportion of cans in the overall packaging mix, which has eaten into the market share of reusable glass bottles, which are relatively less carbon-intensive.
• A 17 per cent decrease has been accomplished in agriculture and processing, with lower-carbon solutions in malting processes being a significant progress driver. Still, greater use of rice and sugars enhanced carbon intensity.
• A 4 per cent drop in distribution-related emissions is primarily attributable to efficiency gains, with some bolstering from electrification and less business travel.
• Lastly, refrigeration-related emissions have been lowered by 19 per cent thanks to energy management devices and decarbonisation of power grid mixes, among other measures, which reduced energy consumption by refrigerators and beer dispensers.

The Carlsberg Group has maintained a constant (and slightly reduced) total of 5.5 million tonnes of carbon (CO2e) emissions throughout its whole value chain since 2015, even though the company has been expanding at that time. By 2022, Carlsberg has cut its emissions compared to 2015 levels, from 60 kg CO₂e/hl to 50 kg CO₂e/hl.

Jacob Aarup-Andersen, CEO of Carlsberg Group, said, "I am very pleased to see that Carlsberg is delivering on its commitments to cut carbon emissions. As the incoming CEO my ambition is to drive progress and with these solid results at the 2022 milestone, we are starting with a strong foot forward as we continue the decarbonisation journey towards 2030 and 2040. We still have a long way to go, especially in areas such as agriculture and packaging – within which we have committed to specific targets more recently. Delivering on these new targets is not going to be easy, but our success thus far gives me great confidence in our ability to follow through with concrete actions and results."

The Carlsberg Group has successfully achieved a 16 per cent decrease in relative value chain emissions per hectolitre of beer produced (measured in kilogrammes of CO2e per hectolitre) after the completion of a recent evaluation done in collaboration with the independent consulting company, Carbon Trust.