Brewing our way to Net Zero: SIBA launches sustainability strategy

“In many respects small independent breweries lead the way in sustainability. Their core product is locally produced beer, 66% of which is packaged into reusable containers and sold to community pubs predominantly within a 40-mile radius of the brewery. There are also many breweries who have placed environmentalism front and centre of what they do with astonishing results – water usage down to 1.5 pints, energy sourced solely from renewable technology and early adopters of CO2 capture equipment to name but a few of the cutting edge initiatives adopted by independent breweries.

Brewing Our Way To Net Zero Six Key Areas

A new sustainability strategy has been published by SIBA, setting out plans to help independent breweries across the UK to meet the ambitious Net Zero targets set by the UK Government.

Launched at BeerX, the ‘Brewing our way to Net Zero’ strategy includes a consultation with breweries, suppliers and others across the UK before being implemented.

This comes as the latest 2023 YouGov Craft Report consumer poll shows almost half of consumers (48%) believing the sustainability credentials of a brewer is an important factor when choosing a beer. For female consumers this increases to 52% with 55% of younger consumers saying it is important.

In his introduction to the report, Andy Slee, SIBA Chief Executive, highlights the fact brewers already take many positive measures to lessen their environmental impact, but more still needs to be done.

“Yet as small and medium sized businesses, many independent breweries lack the economic, human and technical resources they need to make the jump to net zero – increasingly the number one priority in sustainability. As significant users of materials and as energy intensive businesses they face an uphill challenge to meet the government’s ambitious and legally enforced environmental goals over the next few decades,” said Andy

Slee, SIBA Chief Executive

The practical ‘Brewing our way to net zero’ sustainability strategy sets out how independent breweries can achieve their net zero obligations with help and support from SIBA as well as examples from breweries that lead the way.

“Sustainability is at the heart of what we do and has to be delivered in an economic, rational way to enable small independent breweries to make the changes to their businesses they need to succeed in the decades to come,” Andy added.

SIBA has identified six key areas on which they will focus to help small breweries achieve the Net Zero targets, these are: Energy Use, Ingredients, Transport & Logistics, Packaging & Recycling, Solid Waste Management, and Water.

Within each of the key areas SIBA has set out short, medium and long-term goals to achieve Net Zero for the independent brewing sector by 2045 – five years ahead of the Government’s legally binding Net Zero emissions targets, which dictate net zero emissions by 2050 and to reduce national emissions 78% by 2035 and 68% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.

The report consultation was open until 19 May to gather feedback on the scope and objectives of the report, and will help shape the strategy.

SIBA issued a statement in response to the Budget announcements that the lower rate for draught beer will be topped up to 9.2% when the new changes go live in August.

SIBA CEO Andy Slee said: “While it’s welcome that the Chancellor has topped up the draught relief from 5% to 9.2%, by increasing overall duty by RPI, the Government has eroded the benefits of the wider big bang changes to the alcohol duty system that are being introduced in August.

“We are also disappointed in the lack of support for pubs, bars and taprooms, which are a critical part of small brewers’ businesses and are facing existential threats from energy price hikes, a costof-living crisis and other inflationary costs.

“The Craft Beer Report shows the extent of the stubborn post-Covid hangover for pubs, with a worrying 20% of people having not visited a pub in the last 12 months.”

UK’s best beers revealed: The craft breweries who took home the silverware from the SIBA Independent Beer Awards 2023

Grainstore Brewery’s ‘Nip’ and North Brewing Co’s ‘Triple Fruited GoseMango Guava Guava’ took home Overall Champion Gold in the Cask and Keg Awards at the SIBA Independent Beer Awards 2023 at BeerX, with Abbeydale being named the best bottled or canned beer with their ‘Black Mass’ black IPA –making their three beers officially the best in the UK.

In a first for the awards there were also international beers judged, with Hofmeister being named the Overall International Gold for their delicious Bavarian wheat beer ‘Weisse’ which wowed the competition judges as a 'perfect example of the style'.

Judged by brewers and industry experts and organised by SIBA at their flagship BeerX UK event in Liverpool, the awards run across a huge range of beer style categories in cask, craft keg, bottle and can.

One of the night’s big winners, North Brewing Co, was on hand to accept their Overall Gold award in Keg for their mango and guava triple fruited Gose, a German-style sour beer traditionally brewed with a touch of salt for added flavour.

“We’ve worked really hard to get the balance in this beer perfectly between the slight sweetness that the salt brings out, and the sourness and fruit of the beer itself, and I’m just blown away –I can’t believe we’ve won!

“It been a really tough year for our industry and this award will mean so much to everybody at the brewery, and it’s not just the brewing teamthe amount of care that goes in from brewing, to packaging, to warehousing, distribution, the marketing team. It’s a huge pat on the back for everyone at the brewery,” said Christian Townsley, North Brewing Co.

In the bottle and can competition it was Abbeydale’s ‘Black Mass’, a big bold and hoppy dark beer that wowed judges and won the Overall Champion Gold Award in the Bottle and Can Awards.

Christie Mcintosh from Abbeydale accepted the award saying: “We make this beer just three times a year and it’s a joyous, strong, bitter, fruity dark ale. Winning the National as a black IPA is pretty wild, we won the Speciality IPA which we were really pleased about, but to then go up again and win the Overall Gold is just amazing.”

The SIBA Independent Beer Awards at BeerX UK are the national finals and in order to earn a place at the competition brewers must first win at their regional competition – making these overall Champions very much the ‘best of the best’ when it comes to British independent craft beer.

SIBA Competitions Chair Anneli Baxter, congratulated the winners on their huge achievement: “The quality of entries into these awards genuinely does go from strength each year, and 2023 was no exception with some superb beers across the Board. To win at the Regional Competitions is tough, to then go on to win your National Category even harder – and to take home the Overall National Gold is almost impossible - being named the best beer in the whole of the UK by an expert panel of judges. Huge congratulations and well done to all of this year’s winners."

For the full list of winners see pages 82-89.

New SIBA Independent Beer Award winners medals introduced for 2023 season

SIBA has launched new-look Independent Beer Awards 2023 winners medals, including an option for Gold medal winners to use medals featuring their 90+ winning score.

The badges were developed by SIBA Head of Comms & Marketing Neil Walker with design partner MA, in consultation with the SIBA Competitions Committee chaired by SIBA Board Director Anneli Baxter. The new winners medals come after a major shake-up of the awards categories and a new international style judging system was introduced in 2022.

“The new SIBA Independent Beer Awards winners medals further cement the competitions place as the leading beer awards in the UK, with the new categories introduced last year alligning the competition with internationally recognised styles and judging processes. Gold winners will also have the option of using a new style medal which displays their score too, giving a further buying incentive for consumers browsing beers on the shelf. I look forward to seeing the medals in action when they are officially launched at our first Regional Awards of 2023, at MaltingsFest in Newton Abbot on the 20th April,” said Neil Walker, SIBA Head of Comms & Marketing. Under the new awards rules introduced last year to align with internationally recognised beer judging standards beers, must score 70/100 or more to be awarded a Bronze Medal, 80/100 or more to gain a Silver Medal, or a whopping 90/100 or more to take the top Gold Medal Awards.