Carlsberg Group has launched Brewing Tomorrow, its updated ESG programme, introducing absolute carbon reduction targets across Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions while extending the target timeline to 2032 following the company’s 2025 acquisition of Britvic.
The programme replaces the brewer’s previous Together Towards ZERO & Beyond framework, restructuring sustainability commitments around four pillars: Cutting Carbon, Protecting Nature, Empowering People, and Inspiring Choice.
The Britvic acquisition added nearly 1 million tonnes of CO2e emissions to Carlsberg’s value chain — a 16% increase — and expanded the company’s beverage portfolio to include 30% soft drinks. To address these changes while maintaining elevated climate ambition, Carlsberg moved its target year from 2030 to 2032. The company maintains its commitment to a net zero value chain by 2040.
“Carlsberg is on an exciting journey. We are evolving as a company, with a broader portfolio and a wider geographic presence,” said Jacob Aarup-Andersen, Carlsberg Group CEO. “Brewing Tomorrow is our sustainability roadmap of action, built on strong performance in recent years. The aim is clear: to drive impact and ensure Carlsberg is a future-ready business.”
Strengthened climate targets aligned with Science Based Targets initiative
Brewing Tomorrow raises climate ambition by transitioning from relative to absolute carbon reduction targets in line with Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) requirements. The company commits to a 90% reduction in emissions from own operations (Scope 1 and 2) and a 31% reduction in value chain emissions (Scope 3) by 2032.
The 31% Scope 3 target represents a weighted average of 36% for Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) emissions and 30% for non-FLAG emissions, reflecting different reduction pathways for agricultural versus other supply chain sources.
Carlsberg maintains its requirement that all electricity must come from new renewable assets such as power purchase agreements, clarifying that existing renewable energy purchases will not count toward targets.
In 2025, the company sourced 90% of electricity from renewables, with 19% coming from new renewable assets — a major increase from 6% in 2024. Carlsberg signed three new power purchase agreements in Norway, Finland, and Sweden during the year.
Expanded regenerative agriculture and circular packaging goals
The programme increases regenerative agriculture ambition from 30% to 50% of raw materials sourced using regenerative practices by 2032, while removing the previous 2040 target of 100% regenerative agriculture for simplicity.
“We have removed our 2040 target of 100% regenerative agriculture for simplicity, to only have one overarching 2040 target of a net zero value chain,” according to programme documentation. “Regenerative agriculture plays a key role in achieving this.”
In 2025, Carlsberg procured 27,600 tonnes of barley grown with regenerative principles — representing 2% of raw materials and doubling the 2024 amount. Of this total, 7,000 tonnes were grown with leading regenerative principles, the company’s strictest category. The brewer continues expanding regenerative farming pilots in France, the United Kingdom, Finland, and Denmark.
Brasseries Kronenbourg, Carlsberg’s French business, signed an agreement with grain suppliers ensuring that from 2026, 1664 Blonde beer will use 100% traceable barley malt incorporating regenerative agricultural practices.
Carlsberg increased its recycled content target from 50% to 60% for bottles and cans by 2032, after achieving 51% in 2025 — surpassing the original 2030 target of 50% five years ahead of schedule. The company maintains targets for 100% recyclable, compostable, or reusable packaging and a 90% recycling rate for bottles and cans.
New soft drinks sugar reduction and inclusion targets
Brewing Tomorrow introduces a target for 75% of soft drinks to be no- or low-sugar by 2032, reflecting the growing soft drinks share of Carlsberg’s portfolio following the Britvic acquisition.
The programme adds a new employee inclusion target aiming to place Carlsberg among the top 10% in external benchmarks for employee inclusion experience, supplementing the existing women in leadership goal.
Carlsberg increased its women in senior leadership target from 40% to 42% by 2032, building on 2025 achievement of 34%, up from 30% in 2024.
The company increased no- and low-alcohol brews to 31% of global sales in 2025, up from 28.5% in 2023 and 27% in 2021, progressing toward the 35% target by 2032.
2025 performance highlights
Carlsberg achieved a 12% reduction in absolute emissions at production facilities and an 8% reduction in absolute near-term value chain emissions compared to 2024.
A new biomass energy facility in Laos supplies over 80% of Vientiane Brewery’s steam requirements using locally sourced biomass, replacing fossil fuels and reducing annual CO2e emissions by 84% — approximately 15,000 tonnes CO2e.
The company replenished 32% of water consumed at production sites in high-risk areas, up from 16% in 2024. Carlsberg replenished 1.46 million cubic meters of water in areas near high-risk sites in India, China, and Cambodia, and launched a partnership with Water.org to enable clean water access for more than 112,000 people across the Ganges River Basin.
The brewer achieved a 16% reduction in lost-time injuries since 2024 and a 74% reduction since 2015, progressing toward its zero accidents culture target.
“With Brewing Tomorrow, we are building on our learnings from the past, while updating our focus for the future,” said Simon Boas Hoffmeyer, vice president of Group Sustainability & ESG at Carlsberg Group. “The programme is embedded in our business: how we run our operations, how we engage across our value chain, how we develop our people, and how we create more choice across our expanding portfolio.”
