Carlsberg has rebranded its ESG programme and updated its operations-emissions target, following the recent acquisition of soft-drinks company Britvic.
The brewer said today (5 March) that its purchase of Britvic in 2024 had added nearly 1m tonnes of CO2e emissions to the group value chain – a 16% increase on the prior level. Carlsberg had previously committed to reaching zero carbon emissions at its breweries by 2030, but the updated target is for a 90% reduction in emissions “from own operations” by 2032.
The new programme, dubbed ‘Brewing Tomorrow’, “reflects our new portfolio and geographic presence”, the company said. Carlsberg has maintained its previous commitment to a net-zero value chain by 2040 and has increased its ‘scope three’ value-chain emissions targets from a 30% reduction by 2030 to a 31% reduction by the same year.
‘Brewing Tomorrow’ is built around four ‘pillars’: Cutting Carbon, Protecting Nature, Empowering People and Inspiring Choice. The second relates to the Tuborg brewer’s regenerative agricultural projects – it has increased its target here, from 30% to 50% of raw materials sourced from regenerative agricultural practices by 2030.
The third ‘pillar’ relates to responsible consumption and no- & low-alcohol. Most targets remain unchanged in this area, with the addition of a promise to add e-labels with “helpful” responsible-drinking messaging on all global alcohol brands by 2030. The group has also added a new target around its growing soft drinks portfolio, aiming for 75% to have no- or low-sugar.
The final pillar relates to employees, including tweaking a target of having 40% women in senior leadership roles by 2030, to 42% by 2032. The 1664 brand owner has also added a new target, “to measure and track our employees’ experience of inclusion in the workplace”.
Last year, Carlsberg restated its enthusiasm for the ‘Fibre Bottle’ sustainable packaging concept, over three years after unveiling the project. But global head of sustainability & ESG Simon Boas Hoffmeyer (who appears below in a company-sourced clip) told Global Drinks Intel that progress had been slower than he hoped.
In its results for the 12 months of 2025, Carlsberg’s soft drinks presence strengthened although overall sales stayed flat.
