Going Green - Scotch Whiskey Association pledges to reduce fossil fuel use
Last updated 05/06/2009 15:50:44
Going Green - Scotch Whiskey Association pledges to reduce fossil fuel use
Scotch Whisky companies have pledged to cut their use of fossil fuels by 80 per cent by 2050, under the first industry- wide environmental strategy.
The fossil fuel reduction amounts to an annual saving by 2050 of over 750,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide - the equivalent of taking 235,000 cars off Scotland's roads.
Cutting the reliance on fossil fuels is only one of a number of tough industry-wide targets, which include: a significant reduction in the average weight of packaging used and the elimination of sending waste from packaging operations to landfill sites.
They've also committed to source future whisky casks only from sustainable oak forests and to maintain the highest standards of water use and discharge management.
The goals will be achieved through improved operational efficiency and continued investment in innovative technologies, with an emphasis on renewable sources of energy.
Targets have been set in two phases, 2020 and 2050, and the industry has volunteered to publish its achievements annually to show what progress has been made.
Gavin Hewitt, Chief Executive of The Scotch Whisky Association, said: "The good news is that we are making more whisky but already using less energy. Spirit production has increased by over 20 per cent over the last decade, yet our energy efficiency has also improved by a similar amount - a great achievement."
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