Surrounded by rugged wild beauty at its home in North Cornwall, Sharp’s Brewery is committed to finding new ways to protect and sustain the coastal environment that inspires its creativity and its beers.
Much to the delight of the team, it has now been announced that the Rock-based brewery is set to make 100% of its products from 100% green electricity in an impactful move, driven by its owner, Molson Coors Beverage Company.
Molson Coors, who also own iconic brands such as Carling, Coors and Aspall Cyder, has become the first major brewer in the UK to produce all of its beers and ciders using 100% renewable electricity. This long-term agreement covers all of its UK operations including the Sharp’s Brewery production site at Rock, North Cornwall, and other production locations such as Burton-on-Trent and Burtonwood.
Molson Coors has signed a Power Purchase Agreement with one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, RWE, to supply its UK operations with electricity generated from the Tween Bridge wind farm in South Yorkshire. Under the terms of the 10-year agreement, RWE will deliver around 75 gigawatt hours of green electricity per year through its 22 turbines which will power the brewery at Rock, including its offices.
This long-term agreement means that, for the first time, all of the more than 1 billion pints Molson Coors produces in the UK in an average year will be made with electricity from 100% renewable sources. In an average year Molson Coors consumes the same amount of electricity as around 25,000 households – or the population of the business’s historic UK brewing home in Burton-upon-Trent.
Globally, Molson Coors has signed up to the Science Based Targets initiative as part of its Our Imprint 2025 goals and committed to a series of emissions targets in line with the 1.5oC goal set out in the Paris Climate Change Agreement. As part of this plan, Molson Coors committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 50% across all of its direct operations by 2025. The PPA agreement sees the business on track to meet that milestone in the UK – four years ahead of schedule.
The Cornwall-based Sharp’s team has long held its sustainability objectives as a top priority. In recent years, the team has been proactive in developing measures to reduce their footprint on the environment as well as creating engaging activity to raise awareness of environmental issues, such as their Keynvor project in which they created the world’s first playable vinyl record made from ocean waste plastic.
Commercial Director at Sharp’s Brewery, Dai Griffiths said, “I speak on behalf of the team here in Rock when I say that we are thrilled with this switch to 100% green electricity. We are proud to be among major companies signing up to the Science Based Targets Initiative and to know we are helping to lead the way to a more sustainable future. As a major player in the UK brewing world, it is important that we take the lead and share the responsibility.”
Fraser Thomson, Operations Director, Western Europe at Molson Coors Beverage Company said, “One of our values at Molson Coors is taking accountability, and that includes being responsible for the impact our business has on the environment. That’s why we’ve made such bold commitments to play our part in tackling climate change – because it is the right thing to do. We know that this matters to our people, our customers and consumers, and they can now be assured that everything we do, and every pint we make, is powered by 100% green electricity.”
Tom Glover, Chief Commercial Officer at RWE Renewables, said: “We are pleased to support Molson Coors in reducing its carbon footprint. With our broad portfolio of renewable assets, we are among the largest producers of green power in the UK, one of our core markets. We are delighted to enter into long-term partnerships with pioneers like Molson Coors, as this demonstrates that climate protection is possible under market conditions. RWE is committed to a carbon-neutral future and we´re constantly expanding our renewables portfolio to achieve this.”
To find out more about Sharp’s Brewery, its team and work, please visit the website.
