Proud to represent New Zealand’s finest, Steinlager is committed to taking action against climate change and excited to become the country’s first large scale beer brand to be Toitū carbonzero certified.
To reach this significant milestone, every step in Steinlager’s product life cycle has seen emissions reduced or offset, from growing the hops and barley, making the beer at the brewery, to bottles, caps, packaging and transport, right down to the length of time the beer will spend in the consumer’s fridge.
The iconic Kiwi beer, owned by Lion, represents almost 10 per cent of the total New Zealand beer market, with Lion investing in Steinlager’s certification after successfully undertaking this process in 2019 with their sustainable beer brand, The Fermentist, which has since gone on to certify their entire portfolio carbon zero earlier this year.
The audit has revealed that the production of a dozen Steinlager bottles in a standard pack emits 3.2 kg of CO2e, which is the equivalent of driving 13 km in a Toyota Hilux or having your BBQ on full flame for 1.2 hours**. All of this is now being comprehensively offset, with ongoing reduction efforts in place.
Geoff Kidd, Senior Brand Manager for Steinlager, says: “Steinlager has always celebrated the best of New Zealand and is exported and enjoyed around the world. We pride ourselves in our uncompromising quality and doing the right thing. The everyday beer lover doesn’t always consider the environmental impact of the beer in their hand, however now they can enjoy Steinlager knowing that the carbon footprint has been 100% offset.
“By becoming carbon neutral, Steinlager is supporting the New Zealand Government’s goal of becoming net zero by 2050. We recognise our place in Kiwi culture and are committed to doing our part to reduce our nations carbon footprint. The Steinlager team have worked hard to get to this point; and will continue to take further action to reduce our impact on the climate,” says Kidd.
Steinlager partnered with Toitū to undertake an intensive certification audit that allowed it to accurately measure its greenhouse gas emissions and put in place strategies to manage and reduce the footprint each year. This builds on work already undertaken at Lion’s The Pride brewery to improve production efficiency such as recycling glycol, CO2 and growing yeast
Any step in the product’s life cycle that cannot be reduced is mitigated through the two offsetting initiatives Lion has invested in: a forest protection regeneration project in the South Island and a renewable energy farm in India. However, carbon offsetting is the last lever to be pulled after working with suppliers and customers to drive down carbon emissions as much as possible.
Kat McDonald, Lion Sustainability Manager, says:
“Taking action on climate change is a core part of our sustainability strategy at Lion. We’re always looking at ways to reduce carbon emissions and will continue to in the future. Until we get there, we need to address the emissions we currently produce by offsetting them. By costing carbon into our business, we can effectively manage and reduce our impact. We think it’s the right thing to do and our customers will appreciate it.
“We took all the learnings from The Fermentist and applied that to Steinlager. The process with a product at a scale like Steinlager is more challenging than a small brand, but we’re committed to it and over time will include other Lion products. It’s a journey we’ve started but we know there’s still lots of work to do,” says Kat.
On top of Steinlager’s announcement, Lion New Zealand as an organisation intends to be certified carbon zero from January 2021. This organisational certification will see all of Lion’s manufacturing and operational sites across the country become carbon zero certified.
ENDS
For all media enquiries, please contact:
Becky Dawson
Mango Communications
022 079 8476
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Steinlager, via Lion, has invested in the following carbon offsetting projects:
FOREST PROTECTION – South Island, New Zealand
Protecting 738 hectares of Māori owned tall indigenous rainforest, the Rarakau project is adjacent to the Fiordland National Park on the very southern coastline of the South Island and located at the start of the Hump Ridge Track. The forest has a silver beech canopy, intermixed with miro and tōtara.
Parts of the forest have been logged in the past, and some of the flat terrace land was cleared for farming. The forest is now protected by a conservation covenant and is supplying New Zealand’s first (and so far only) carbon offsets from tall indigenous rainforest.
The project is owned by the Rowallan Alton (Māori) Incorporation who have given up the right to harvest timber from their forest in exchange for the opportunity to receive donations from the sale of rainforest carbon offsets. The Rarakau landowners aspire to sustainable land management excellence, securing the rainforest for native wildlife and to be enjoyed by future generations.
WINDS OF CHANGE – Renewable Energy, India
Located in Chitradurga, this wind farm introduces clean energy to the grid which would otherwise be generated by a coal-fired power station. Wind power is clean in two ways: it produces no emissions and also avoids the local air pollutants associated with fossil fuels. Electricity availability in the region has been improved, reducing the occurrence of blackouts across the area.
The project supports national energy security and strengthens India’s rural electrification coverage. In constructing the turbines new roads were built, improving accessibility for locals. The boost in local employment by people engaged as engineers, maintenance technicians, 24-hour on-site operators and security guards also boosted local economies and village services.
About the Toitū carbonzero certification
Toitū carbonzero product certification is proof that goods and services are positively contributing to the sustainability of our future through measuring, reducing and offsetting their carbon footprint.
To achieve Toitū carbonzero product or service certification, the provider measures the full lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions required under the international standard for product carbon footprints, PAS 2050. The footprint includes emissions from sourcing raw materials, manufacturing, distributing and using the product or service, and disposing of any waste.
The product emissions are measured annually, and the inventory is independently verified to ensure it is accurate and complete. The provider must develop plans to continually manage and reduce their product or service’s emissions continually. Each year, unavoidable emissions are offset through the purchase of quality carbon credits to achieve net zero emissions. The product must reduce emissions on a six year cycle.
About Lion New Zealand
Lion NZ is New Zealand’s leading alcohol beverage company with brands including Speight’s, Steinlager, Panhead, Emerson’s, Wither Hills and Havana Coffee Works. The company employs around 1,200 people across its head office and The Pride in Auckland, Speight’s, Harrington’s, The Fermentist, Emerson’s, Little Creatures and Panhead breweries, the Wither Hills winery, Havana Coffee Works and its Liquor King retail stores. Lion has been awarded both the Gender and Rainbow Tick and has won many awards for closing the gender pay gap and embedding flexible working into the business. It is a founding member of responsible drinking charity Cheers!, runs its own alcohol education platform called Alcohol&Me and provides funding to support the Health Promotion Agency’s moderation programmes. Lion is a founding signatory to the Climate Leaders Coalition and part of Sustainable Business Network and Sustainable Business Council. For more information on Lion NZ follow us on Twitter @LionNZ or visit www.lionco.com
