I’ve been tracking how breweries are making themselves more sustainable for five years. In 2021, it was already pretty standard for brewers to send their spent grain to local farms for animal feed and the installation of solar panels was getting commonplace, for example. But since then, the way breweries take action to become more climate resilient has noticeably shifted up a gear. With the UK experiencing significant stifling heatwaves already in 2026, it feels like this hasn’t come a moment too soon.

The Bluestone Brewing Co, in a beautiful part of Pembrokeshire, has really had environmental welfare baked into its activities since its inception in 2013. Based on a working family farm, it uses water from its own well to brew and powers the process through solar. Bluestone’s efforts were recognised in 2018 as it became the first brewery in the world to receive Green Key Accreditation.

Now, Bluestone’s sustainability initiatives have gone well beyond the everyday, as it collaborates with Swansea University in a project that captures by-products of the brewing process and turns the waste into something useful. Carbon dioxide generated by the brewery is piped into a nearby polytunnel where there is a 400-litre photobioreactor and raceway tank. Within it, there is spirulina growing – a blue-green algae that uses carbon to fuel its photosynthesis.

When grown, the algae culture is harvested and studies are underway to find potential commercial applications for it – perhaps in the food, cosmetics, health or pharmaceutical industries. This project is fascinating because Bluestone is not just reacting to the threat of climate change, but actively leading the way in critical research that could help fight it as well as potentially creating a long-term income stream that may strengthen the foundations of its own business.

The project has already sparked interest from other companies. Gower brewery is reportedly exploring installing a similar system, but on a larger scale. The Welsh government has touted the project as a model for Wales’ Net Zero 2050 plan.

Feeling geeky? Read the full report into the research on MDPI.

Not every environmental action needs to be as big as this to make a significant impact. St Austell in Cornwall launched a clever biodegradable beer mat in May, which is embedded with seeds. This small, plantable piece of marketing has a QR code that customers across the 45 St Austell pubs can scan to find out more about the broader actions the venerable independent brewer has been taking to brew greener beer.

Its actions, set out in the Crafting a Brighter Future strategy, include running all of its pubs on 100 per cent renewable energy and reporting a 91 per cent reduction in fossil fuel emissions across its sites since 2022. While the beer mats are a small, fun gesture, they are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the serious commitment that St Austell has made in creating a business that is both greener and increasingly energy efficient meaning this historic brewery is truly getting fit for the future.

These are just two examples of breweries that view sustainability as an integral and vital part of everything they do. There are plenty more I can offer; Castle Rock in Nottingham, Wiper and True in Bristol and Hobsons of Shropshire spring to mind immediately. The industry is taking notice not only of the clear need for brewing to become more environmentally responsible, but also the financial incentive that comes from being more self-reliant in terms of energy and emissions.

Perhaps the most encouraging sign of changing attitudes within the industry is the launch of a new MSc in advanced sustainability for brewing and distilling by Heriot-Watt University. This qualification will be offered full-time and part-time on-campus and online to allow existing brewing professionals to access it, as well as people planning on entering the workforce for the first time.

The MSc is intended to provide “the knowledge base to facilitate enhanced sustainable practices across the entire holistic process of brewing and distilling”. The university’s commitment to deliver the best possible research-led learning focused on responsible production is clear from its plan to build a new £35m Centre for Sustainable Brewing and Distilling. Such a centre would be a key constituent of the knowledge transfer and cross-disciplinary research that is needed to bring the brewing industry closer to the ultimate goal of a net-zero future.