Diageo to more than €100 million ($109 million) to decarbonize its historic site in St. Petersburg. John. James’s Gate in Dublin, where Guinness has been brewed for 264 years.
The investment will help the site move towards net-zero carbon emissions and promises to increase energy and water consumption to make it “one of the world’s most effective breweries” by 2030.
The site will absolutely use fossil fuels in its direct brewing operations and reduce scope 1-2 GHG emissions generated through the site by more than 90%, in line with the Science Based Target initiative’s definition of net zero.
By 2030, the site’s renewable energy plan will combine the use of grid-powered electric heat pumps; and biogas generated in a new water recovery facility. This facility will also boost water use and allow for a projected 30% relief in the water used to make Guinness.
Diageo has a building permit application for this decarbonisation task that will be submitted to Dublin City Council later this year.
In Spain, PepsiCo’s beverage plant in northern Spain aims to be the company’s first plant in the world to reach net-zero emissions by 2025.
The beverage plant, in the Basque Country of Álava, produces iconic brands such as Pepsi in addition to local brands KAS and Bitter KAS. It is expected to reach net 0 emissions next year thanks to the electrification of the plant’s facilities. which meant the elimination of 1,849 tonnes of CO2 per year.
In addition to the €5 million ($5. 4 million) invested in the electrification project, PepsiCo has allocated another €27 million ($29. 3 million) over the past five years to improving the project, both in terms of innovation and sustainability. This includes new packaging equipment, storage closer to transport, as well as the implementation of more effective processes.
The announcement follows the opening last year in Poland of Europe’s most sustainable PepsiCo plant. The Środa Śląska plant uses new sustainability responses that demonstrate facets of a circular economy in action, such as harvesting rainwater for reuse and generating its own rooftop solar panels. , and the factory will be climate-independent until 2035.