Carlsberg eyes expanded regenerative barley usage for its brands in UK, Finland and France

07 Mar 2023 --- Carlsberg Group has taken strides in regenerative farming with three brands in the UK, Finland and France. The brand commitments form part of the group’s new Zero Farming Footprint strategy within its recently launched ESG program, Together Towards Zero and Beyond.

Carlsberg has committed to sourcing 30% of all agricultural raw materials from regenerative practices and sustainable sources globally by 2030, reaching 100% by 2040. 

Transitioning to a regenerative model
Regenerative agriculture is integral to the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss.

Highlighting some of its ‘most demanding targets yet,” Carlsberg aims to accelerate the beer industry’s overall transition to a regenerative model. 

While rethinking the “farm to bottle” process is a challenging journey, requiring multiple stakeholder alignments and value chain reconfigurations, the early examples emerging in the UK, Finland and France are “encouraging,” according to Carlsberg. 

In the UK, Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company has committed to 100% regenerative barley for Carlsberg Danish Pilsner by 2027 and for all UK brands by 2031.

In Finland, partner farmers supply regenerative barley to Sinebrychoff, a Carlsberg Group company, for its annual KOFF Christmas Beer, while actively promoting regenerative farming among Finnish barley farmers.

Meanwhile, in France, Carlsberg’s Kronenbourg brand already has 45 partner farmers supplying traceable “Responsible Barley.” The 1664 brand has committed to using this for 100% of the barley in its Blonde brews by 2026. It currently holds 10% of the French beer market.

Partnerships are “vital”
Simon Boas Hoffmeyer, senior director of sustainability and ESG for Carlsberg Group, calls partnerships “vital” across the value chain. “We collaborate closely with local farmers, traders, maltsters, agronomists and NGOs who provide expertise in the transition to regeneratively grown barley.”

In the UK, Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company has committed to 100% regenerative barley for Carlsberg Danish Pilsner by 2027 and for all UK brands by 2031.“Over time this will allow us to offer our consumers and customers lower-carbon beers and contribute to improving the ecosystems we rely on.”

Commitments in the UK
Starting the transition toward 100% regenerative barley in the UK, CMBC and the Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) have contracted the first 23 farmers to grow an estimated 7,000 metric tons of regenerative barley this year. 

Partnering with agriculture consultancy Ceres Rural, a regenerative agricultural protocol has been developed to align with Group practices while considering the specific requirements and contexts for UK farmers.

“This project is further evidence of how we work with farmers, here in the UK and around the world, to expand regenerative agriculture as part of our collective endeavor to reduce carbon and make our food system more sustainable,” says Jonathan Lane, managing director UK at ADM. 

“We have years of experience supporting farmers in their transition to regenerative agriculture and understand the importance of creating value for participants across the value chains in which we operate.”

Stakeholder collaboration in Finland
Changing farmers’ mindsets to consider longer-term soil health before crop yield is one of the initial challenges in transitioning to regenerative farming flagged by Carlsberg. 

“This, coupled with the current lack of universal standards on regenerative agriculture, means that stakeholders who help to facilitate the transition are invaluable,” states the group.

The Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) works as the company’s “matchmaker” between regenerative farmers, scientists and the wider value chain through its Carbon Action platform, resulting in Finland’s oldest and most popular Christmas beer brewed with malted barley from two regenerative farms in 2022.

“Our farm is one of a hundred Carbon Action farms in Finland. Farmers and researchers share their experiences and know-how on regenerative farming on the Carbon Action platform,” explains Sirkku Puumala, a Finnish farmer supplying regenerative barley for KOFF Christmas Beer.

Responsible Barley supply chain in France
In France, Carlsberg’s Kronenbourg 1664 brand has partnered with Malteries Soufflet and Soufflet Agriculture of InVivo Group to create the country's first traceable “Responsible Barley” supply chain. 

The aim is that, by 2026, Kronenbourg 1664 Blonde will be brewed with 100% barley malt sourced from this new agricultural value chain, with 250 partner farmers producing 5,000 hectares of responsibly sourced barley that is traceable using blockchain technology.

Promoting sustainable agriculture 
Carlsberg Group is a new members of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI Platform) – created to promote and support the worldwide development of sustainable agriculture actively. 

In this working group, Carlsberg will learn and share best practices with experts and other industry players, co-develop and apply for specialized programs, and align on a common approach to regenerative agriculture.

Edited by Elizabeth Green