Carlsberg Britvic is announcing a 10-year landmark partnership with The Rivers Trust to help restore rivers, wetlands and floodplains near its Rugby manufacturing site.
The partnership comes as extreme weather places growing pressure on water resources across the UK, and forms part of Carlsberg Group’s wider global commitment to replenish 100% of water consumed at production sites in high-risk areas by 2032.
Water resilience is becoming increasingly important across the UK, with communities, businesses and ecosystems facing growing pressures from drought, extreme weather and changing climate conditions. In response, Carlsberg Britvic is launching a 10-year partnership with The Rivers Trust to invest in large-scale, nature-based solutions designed to improve the health of local rivers and strengthen the resilience of the wider catchment for generations to come.
The partnership will support the delivery of multiple projects across the Warwickshire Avon catchment, just 15 miles from Carlsberg Britvic’s Rugby site, including on local rivers such as the Leam, helping to reconnect and enhance floodplains, create new wetland habitats and improve the landscape's ability to store and slow water. The locations are selected due to their position and significance within the wider river system, poor ecological condition, particularly for fish and invertebrate populations, and position upstream of several communities vulnerable to flooding. By taking action here, these projects will improve river health while helping to reduce flood risk for downstream communities.
The projects will be delivered by Severn Rivers Trust, The Rivers Trust's member trust for the region, which brings local expertise and on-the-ground knowledge of the catchment.
The first project will begin in October, reconnecting the River Alne with its natural floodplain and creating a network of storage wetlands that will help slow, store and manage water more naturally across the landscape. This will reduce flood risk for downstream communities including Henley-in-Arden and Alcester, while enhancing biodiversity through the creation of new wetland habitats and woodland areas.
The work forms part of Carlsberg Britvic’s commitment to replenish 100% of the water used at its Rugby site – approximately one million m3 per year – by 2032, with an interim milestone to replenish 400,000 m3 per year by 2028. Based on current assumptions, the projects are estimated to replenish more than 328,000m³ a year They will be regularly monitored to ensure the actions undertaken continue to perform as expected.
The partnership marks Carlsberg Group’s first water replenishment project in Europe and puts its Brewing Tomorrow sustainability ambitions into action at a local level. It supports the Group's global commitment to replenish 100% of water consumed at production sites in high water-risk areas by 2032, while improving water efficiency and helping protect and restore the ecosystems on which communities, agriculture and industry depend.
Rugby has been identified as a high-risk site under Carlsberg Group's water risk assessment, which looks at both site-specific factors, such as production scale and future growth expectations as well as watershed conditions, including water availability, water quality, regulation and community-related water risks.
Paul Davies, chief executive officer, Carlsberg Britvic, said: “Water is at the heart of every drink we make, so protecting this precious resource is not only important for our business, it’s a responsibility we take seriously. This project proves that investing in the resilience of our business goes hand in hand with investing in the long-term health of the environments and communities around us.
“Our partnership with The Rivers Trust will play a key role in turning our ambitions into practical action, working with experts and local stakeholders to support the health of the wider catchment. We have set ourselves a clear target to replenish 100% of the water consumed at our Rugby site by 2032, and these projects represent an important step towards achieving that.”
Mark Lloyd, chief executive officer, The Rivers Trust, said: “This summer has provided another stark reminder that water cannot be taken for granted. Across the UK, we're seeing record temperatures and devastating impacts of pollution and drought on our rivers, making water resilience more important than ever for businesses, communities and the environment alike."
“Through partnerships like this with Carlsberg Britvic, we can deliver practical, nature-based solutions that help restore rivers and their catchments, support biodiversity and create measurable water benefits that will be felt for years to come.
George Clark, programme manager, Severn Rivers Trust, said: “This investment will enable practical action to help restore the river catchment and make it more resilient to a changing climate. Working closely with farmers and land managers, we’ll reconnect rivers with their floodplains, create ponds and wetlands and restore the natural processes that help rivers and landscapes function.
“By giving water more space and helping the landscape hold onto it for longer, this work can support wildlife, improve river health and help build resilience to both flooding and drought. It’s a great example of what long-term investment in our rivers can make possible.”
These projects will provide real impact to support the health of rivers and wetlands, with the work intended to contribute to biodiversity and community resilience beyond Carlsberg Britvic’s factory boundary. The approach will be shaped through collaboration with local stakeholders, The Rivers Trust and Severn Rivers Trust.
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