Something to shout about

As the appetite for all things green grows, Kelly Smith discovers the

brewers exploiting their eco-credentials

reports Kelly Smith

While saving the planet may be a rather alarmist and vastly over-used phrase in the consumer consciousness (we all know that fighting climate change is going to demand radical action on a political scale), more and more people are looking to do their bit.

Buying ethical or greener products is one way of making a stand - and it's a trend that's set to grow. Cask ale has long been an ethical product. It's usually made with British, sometimes locally-grown, hops and barley, what little waste is produced is recycled, and in the on-trade, returnable containers eliminate the need for packaging.

Ale production is fairly eco-friendly. More so than lager, which uses more water, produces more waste, as it's filtered, and consumes more energy, as a result of the need to heat/pasteurise it, cool and store it at about -1C° for anything up to 35 days and keep it chilled in the pub. Keg beers, including smooths and bitters, also undergo the energy-intensive process of pasteurisation.

Cask's credentials

It isn't necessary to launch an offensive at all non-cask beer, but rather recognise the opportunity that exists for ale to turn its eco-friendly aspects into a valuable marketing hook to pull more people into the category.

As brewers invest in energy-saving schemes and recognise there is room for improvement, marketing mileage can only increase. Take Adnams' latest Beers from the Coast campaign, which promotes some of the Suffolk-based brewer's award-winning green successes: its energy-efficient brewery, which has cut carbon emitted in the brewing process by 25%, its lightweight bottle and its eco-distribution centre.

For Adnams managing director Andy Wood, "doing the right thing" pays big dividends."

"Our research tells us that consumers believe that it is this approach that sets us apart from our competitors," he says. "For many years we have just got on with various projects and initiatives without making too much of them, but we've become more vocal as we recognise the growing appetite for such activity."

Consumer demand for more information on companies' environmental behaviour is high, says the Carbon Trust, which proposes that a product carbon-labelling scheme will provide real commercial benefits to businesses working hard to reduce their carbon footprint.

Although others are jumping on the lighter-bottle bandwagon, the sustainable approach is holistic, rather than tokenistic: Adnams, like many others, is committed to long-term contracts with local hop and barley suppliers, which helps safeguard the crop supply, farmers' businesses and the environment.

"It's wonderful to be able to stand in a field of barley in Norfolk and know that this Maris Otter barley is destined for a pint of Young's Bitter," says Wells & Young's chairman Paul Wells.

"It's the details that make the difference - the stuff drinkers don't see or hear about, whether it's reusing hop-pellet boxes or reducing water usage. Perhaps they should," says Adnams head brewer Mike Powell-Evans.

"Brewing is about detail - that's what it takes. It's about getting all the little things right as well as the big things. And these have a cumulative impact. I think there's a lot to be said about shouting out the green credentials of companies like ourselves," he says.

You don't have to lead the green crusade to get the message across. Recent advertising from Wells & Young's, which is slashing carbon reductions in its brewery and new distribution centre, portrays aspects of its ale as a slice of the countryside amid the urban grind.

Eco-friendly, natural product

Batemans MD Stuart Bateman, agrees. "Cask ale has that complete aura of being an eco-friendly, natural product made from raw materials, that is nutritional, unpasteurised and has no additives. To have some kind of advertising campaign focused purely on ale being eco-friendly isn't quite as good as its being part of the bigger picture," he says.

"Our slogan, 'Good honest ales' or the old Mitchells & Butlers line: 'Good honest beer' all demonstrate quality, heritage, tradition and concern about the environment."

It's a message Britain's oldest brewer, Shepherd Neame, is keen to modernise. Marketing and sales director Graeme Craig believes our perception of "traditional" has shifted - what used to be seen as boring is now interesting.

"People want to know more about where products come from. While the average age of an ale-drinker is probably early 40s, consumers are looking to make a point of difference earlier and are much more choosy about what they drink. Everything about a person now is identified in the way they consume. For me, two key consumer drivers over the next few years will be health and environment. I think there's a huge opportunity for cask to fulfil those.

"The question is: what communication is the consumer going to be receptive to hearing? For instance, we're moving forward with products such as Whitstable Bay, our organic beer. The trouble with organic is that it's polarising. If we blind taste-tested Whitstable Bay, we'd get a much higher propensity to purchase and enthusiasm behind the brand than if we asked: 'Would you buy our organic beer?'"

Sheps is also tackling green innovation. By using a new technology called PDX, which injects live steam directly into the wort (malt extract), the Kent-based brewer is cutting the energy needed to boil its coppers by 40%.

But there is an extra, underlying benefit of this cost and energy-saving system. "The beer's flavour is much fresher and cleaner and there's no burning, charring effect," explains production and distribution director Ian Dixon.

The fact that ethical products are often equated with quality in the consumer's consciousness may present a chance for brewers to strengthen those associations.

Dixon certainly thinks so. "People are getting more involved in flavours, aromas, provenance, and all things to do with carbon footprint; they are inquiring and want a much wider range of beers," he says.

Perhaps that's why Sheps, in addition to its eco-investments, has built a microbrewery within its Faversham site.

"The good thing about the cask-ale category is that there is still a relatively good amount of innovation," says Craig. "The key is that it's a good, wholesome product made with care and passion. But it's also about looking to be inventive and creative while being true to the product. We're an experiential culture: people are looking for new ways of experiencing and developing. It may not seem like it, but we have got cash to spend as consumers and how we choose to spend it is casting a wider net.

"Cask ale is ticking all the boxes - including the green one - for the consumer, and

is definitely moving forward in terms of

opportunity."

Chasing the eco-pound

l Spending on greener and ethical products is expected to continue rising, creating new opportunities for retailers as consumers opt for products that enable them to reduce their environmental impact

l Those most interested in eco-issues can afford to make greener and ethical choices and are willing to pay more

l Sixty-seven per cent of people are more likely to buy products with a low carbon footprint

l Three-quarters of people say more information about companies' social, environmental and ethical behaviour would influence their purchasing decisions

Sources: Ethical and Green Retailing report, Mintel 2007; Carbon Footprinting and Labelling, the Carbon Trust 2007