Guinness & Baileys to become carbon neutral
Diageo, which makes Guinness and Baileys, has announced a set of 25 goals in this plan, part of the ‘Decade of Action’ to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the United Nations.
Diageo’s plan is designed to make a positive impact on the world by 2030 and to this end Diageo is to focus its action over the next 10 years in three core areas, carefully selected to align with the UN’s Goals: promoting positive drinking, championing inclusion and diversity and pioneering grain-to-glass sustainability.
The Guinness and Baileys brands will lead the implementation of Diageo’s 2030 targets here.
The brands will also work in collaboration with farmers and those in its value chain to halve their indirect carbon emissions by 2030.
“As a global business, we’re committed to playing our part to protect the future of our planet and to leading the way for others to follow,” said Diageo’s President of Europe, Turkey and India John Kennedy, “Across our Irish operations, we’ve already demonstrated our commitment to sustainability with a massive focus on reducing our environmental footprint across carbon, water and waste.
“Recent achievements include a 32% reduction in CO2 emissions and halving water usage at St James’s Gate. Similarly, at our Baileys operation on Nangor Road 100% of the electricity supplied is renewable and zero carbon.”
Diageo Ireland also announced in September that the proposed Guinness Quarter development at St James’s Gate aims to be Dublin’s first carbon neutral district.
Championing inclusion and diversity
Diageo will also set an industry-leading ambition to have 45% representation of leaders from ethnically diverse backgrounds by 2030 as well as 50% of all leaders being women and it will also provide skills and training to over 1.7 million people to help create an inclusive and thriving hospitality sector.
By 2030 Diageo will also ensure that the business is using 100% recycled content in plastic packaging and that 100% of Diageo’s packaging will be widely recyclable.
This announcement was also accompanied by the launch of Diageo’s ‘Sustainable Solutions’, a global platform to provide non-equity funding to start-up and technology companies to help Diageo continue to embed sustainability in its supply chain and brands. Designed to support small companies and entrepreneurs develop and commercialise their innovations, Diageo will share global resources and experience to unlock future potential for both partners.