Carlsberg and WWF launch seagrass restoration project

The UK has already lost up to 92% of its seagrass in the last century

The year-long partnership is geared towards informing and inspiring consumers to make small changes to their purchasing habits and everyday actions to help combat the climate crisis.

It is focused on creating funds to protect seagrass meadows, with research suggesting they can absorb carbon up to 35 times faster than a rainforest.

Carlsberg is creating an on-pack donation so that 50p from every special edition Carlsberg pack will go to WWF to support the restoration of seagrass.

Climate change and manmade pollution are currently placing these meadows at risk. Coastal protection is largely provided by saltmarshes and seagrass beds. Yet the UK has already lost up to 92% of its seagrass in the last century and 85% of its saltmarsh.

According to WWF, rising sea levels, storms and flooding driven by climate change has placed more than £12bn of the UK’s economy at risk, while almost 2.5 million homes in the UK could suffer from flooding by 2050.

WWF’s executive director of advocacy & campaigns, Kate Norgrove, said: “We are in the midst of a climate and nature crisis, and WWF can’t achieve our mission of a sustainable future on our own. We need to work with brands that care about our planet, like Carlsberg, to inspire as many people as possible in the fight for our world.”

Carlsberg will aim to educate consumers on this issue. As well as on-pack donations, sales of the plastic-free Snap Packs will limit the amount of packaging and waste that is produced, while also protecting wildlife.

Carlsberg is working towards its Together Towards Zero sustainability strategy, which includes targets to reduce water consumption by 25% in breweries, with the more ambitious targets placed on high-risk sites. As a result, water consumption below 2 hl/hl should be achieved – well below the global best practice average of 3.4hl/hl. As of 2020, the company has slashed carbon emissions across its group by 13% over a 12-month period, and 30% since 2015, as it pushes towards its aim to achieve zero emissions at breweries.

Carlsberg’s UK director of marketing, Emma Sherwood-Smith, commented: “Over the past few years, our focus has been brewing for a better today and tomorrow and we have worked hard to adopt sustainable practices in every aspect of Carlsberg as a brand, from reducing water consumption in the brewing process to introducing our game-changing Snap Pack as an alternative to plastic rings.

“Our campaign with WWF helps to highlight the small changes needed to make a big difference, with something as simple as choosing Carlsberg.”

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Matt Mace