A programme aimed at reducing carbon emissions from farming Scotch whisky is set to initially be rolled out across approximately 20 farms that produce barley and wheat for Diageo’s Scottish brands, including Johnnie Walker, Talisker, and The Singleton.
The programme is aimed at reducing carbon emissions across Diageo-managed farms and will extend to its network of producers in Mexico who produce agave for tequila.
The aim is to enhance biodiversity, reduce Diageo’s carbon footprint, improve soil management, and improve water stewardship. By focusing on cover crops, reduced cultivations, and crop rotations, Diageo hopes to better prepare farmers on how to adapt their farming practices in response to climate change.
Ewan Andrew, President of Global Supply Chain & Procurement and Chief Sustainability Officer, commented: ‘As we commit to continued investment in long-term business growth, we’re excited to expand our regenerative farming work more formally beyond our current Guinness programme in Ireland. The Scotch Whisky and Tequila brands have such a strong connection to their local communities, and as we build increased resilience and productivity across our end-to-end supply chains, we are building broader partnerships to enhance the impact of regenerative farming practices at scale.’
Agriculture and soil carbon experts, including Agricarbon and James Hutton Limited, are overseeing the programme rollout and will track the soil carbon changes over time and investigate how regenerative farming practices can improve soil structure, biological activity, and water retention.
Annie Leeson, CEO and Co-Founder of Agricarbon, commented: ‘Building our knowledge and understanding of the different raw materials across Diageo’s supply chain is key to reducing emissions and monitoring carbon changes in soils in different farming systems. Working with Diageo, we are pioneering large-scale assessments of soil carbon stocks.’
Diageo has an ambitious 10-year ESG action plan called Society 2030: Spirit of Progress, whereby they have pledged to help create a more inclusive and sustainable world. Their strategic priorities under the scheme are to promote positive drinking, champion inclusion and diversity, and pioneer grain-to-glass sustainability, all underpinned by doing business the right way. Having pledged £1 billion into developing a low-carbon planet, Diageo’s global regenerative agriculture programme in Scotland and Mexico is a positive move forward in reaching their scope 3 carbon emissions reduction target.
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