Diageo has launched a three-year regenerative agriculture programme aimed at reducing the carbon emissions from growing barley and wheat for scotch whisky.
The London-listed spirits giant, which counts Johnnie Walker, Singleton and Talisker among its scotch portfolio, said the programme would help reduce Scope 3 emissions and “build long-term resilience” into its supply chain.
“The long-term availability of quality barley and wheat is essential to the production of scotch whisky,” it said. “Using more regenerative techniques to grow these crops will help build supply resilience in the face of a changing climate and help to protect the sourcing landscapes of our iconic brands in Scotland.”
In partnership with two of Scotland’s largest independent providers of agricultural and sustainability advice, Scottish Agronomy and SAC Consulting, Diageo said it would work with 20 key barley and wheat farm growers to “advance locally suitable regenerative agricultural interventions”.
The programme would also commission research trials, the findings of which would be shared with the wider industry, it added.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to expanding our regenerative agriculture pilots across more of our key markets and key categories,” said Diageo GB managing director Nuno Teles. “We know we need to farm in a more sustainable way to protect the land around us, increase the sustainability of our business and enhance farmer livelihoods.”
Alongside the UK programme, Diageo has launched a similar initiative in Mexico to reduce the carbon emissions from agave farming for use in tequila.
In February 2022, it launched a regenerative agriculture pilot in Ireland for Guinness.
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