BrewDog has bought a 9,000 acre former grouse moor in the Cairngorms in a bid to reduce the craft beer producer’s carbon footprint.
The multinational brewery and pub chain has purchased the Kinrara Estate and unveiled plans for its Lost Forest, a programme of landscape regeneration which involves rewetting carbon-rich peatlands and establishing native woodlands.
BrewDog intends to start work on the regeneration scheme in August in a bid to reverse years of intensive grouse moor management practices, such as burning and draining, which have proven damaging to peatlands.
James Watt, CEO of BrewDog, said:
“We purchased a huge chunk of land in the Scottish highlands where we will embark on the single biggest native woodland establishment and peatland restoration project ever carried out in the UK.
“Located just west of Aviemore, work will begin at the Lost Forest in August after we have completed our environmental surveys. Overall, the Lost Forest is capable of pulling 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide out of our atmosphere.”
“Together we can set a new standard in sustainability and hopefully inspire other businesses and consumers to join us on this journey.”
The Lost Forest project is part of BrewDog’s environmental drive to remove twice as much carbon from the earth’s atmosphere than it creates. By offsetting its carbon in restored habitats the brewery is tapping into a growing trend among businesses to invest in nature’s recovery in the race to reach net zero.
Knight Frank, one of the world’s largest global property consultancies, forecast that restoring moors in the battle to stop climate change is fast outflanking grouse shooting on delivering social and economic benefits to be obtained from land.
Luke Steele, Director of Wild Moors, said:
“Three cheers for BrewDog for restoring nature on a degraded former grouse moor to help the company reach net zero. With the UK’s peatlands storing more carbon than all the forests in the UK, France and Germany combined, BrewDog has set the bar high for other climate-conscious companies to follow in its footsteps.”
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Wild Moors campaigns to free up moorland for conservation from exploitation for grouse shooting. By working with society, companies and government to create change, we secure effective protection for wildlife, habitats and local communities.