Winner – Diageo
Given its size and profile, Diageo will always capture its fair share of attention when it comes to entering awards. Conversely, however, judging panels will tend to be more exacting in their deliberations on the giant’s submissions.
On the water preservation front, Diageo came out on top this year. Credit was given to the importance the brand owner has placed on reducing its water use, with targets including a 40% improvement in water-use efficiency in water-stressed areas and 30% improvement across the overall group. “Four years into our ongoing ESG plan, we have made significant progress and are currently ahead of both targets.”
The optimisation of water recovery capabilities at the East African Brewery sites in Africa was cited, along with the recommissioning of an aqueous treatment plant in Cameronbridge in Scotland, which provided 10% of the site’s total water usage.
At the same time, Diageo has completed 30 water replenishment projects in ten countries this year, benefitting local communities by providing access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene. Finally, a “multi-stakeholder” approach that brings NGOs and the public sector closer to its water-based projects helped carry Diageo across the ESG Awards 2024 line.
Our judges said: “They clearly know their numbers and the year-on-year improvements stand out.”
Special Commendation – Heaven Hill Brands
While Heaven Hill has been using evaporative cooling water on most of its still for over a decade, the recent introduction of an extensive metering system has repaid the distiller’s efforts strongly. The quantifiable results from the system, which featured ten measurement points throughout Heaven Hill’s Bernheim Distillery in Kentucky, led to the utilisation of precise amounts of water only as needed, thereby eliminating any overflows.
“Since the implementation of these changes, 2024 data, normalised for production, has revealed a dramatic reduction in wastewater – over 40% – that is discharged into the local municipal sewer system. We believe our efforts … demonstrate the tangible benefits of investing in data analytics to guide the implementation of innovative water conservation technologies.”
Special Commendation – Raincheck Earth
Based in north-east India, Raincheck Earth has taken the name of its home town as the brand name for Cherrapunji Eastern Craft Gin. The town, as the gin’s label highlights’ is “the rainiest place on earth”, receiving around 22,000mm of rain every year.
The company capitalises on its location by harvesting the rainwater for spirits dilution purposes, having sourced storage tanks from Australia and built a “custom purification process of rainwater”. Subsequently, Cherrapunji – which is packaged in stainless steel bottles – leverages only rainwater for its dilution.
“We have taken a wilful stance on making alcoholic beverages responsibly and sustainably, bringing the sublime taste of our rain to the world.”
