Diageo is extending its award-winning regenerative agriculture project beyond Ireland, taking in farming practices for its Scotch whisky and Tequila brands.
In the same month as the group’s pilot for Guinness earned a special commendation in Global Drinks Intel‘s ESG awards, two further projects have been announced in Scotland and Mexico. Set up in partnership with Agricarbon and James Hutton Ltd, the programmes will be designed to reduce carbon emissions as well as “build supply resilience, particularly in Jalisco, Mexico, a region that is exposed to climate risks, by building soil health”.
Among the measures under consideration are the introduction of cover crops along with the implementation of reduced cultivations and crop rotations.
“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,” said Diageo’s chief sustainability officer & president of global supply chain & procurement, Ewan Andrew. “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.”
Speaking exclusively to Global Drinks Intel in August, Diageo’s head of water, environment & agriculture sustainability, Michael Alexander, noted that external expectations and disclosure-wise, sustainability has grown markedly in the beverage alcohol industry. “It’s a very different playing field now compared to, say, 2010,” he said. “The acceleration has been very fast in the last five years.”
Why a sustainability strategy makes a company “focused, well managed and efficient” – ESG
