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The 2022 Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards in association with C&C Group PLC Winners Announced

Sustainability and responsible business are at the heart of the UK’s drinks industry and the 2022 Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards are the annual celebration of the businesses who are genuinely implementing change and building a better world. 

Leaders from across the drinks industry were at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in London’s Portland Place last night as businesses came together to recognise the work they’ve put in to maximise their positive impact on the world.

With the pressure of inflation and the cost of living crisis on everyone’s mind, consumers are re-evaluating the way they spend their money and are more aware than ever of the impact the brands they use have on the world around them. The UK drinks industry has risen to this challenge, and last night guests heard of the innovative ways in which businesses of all sizes are leading the way in sustainable ways of operating. 

The winners of the 2022 Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards included Asahi UK, Revolution Bars Group, Budweiser Brewing Group and Avallen Spirits.

Charles Miers, Co-CEO & Founder Footprint Media Group, says: “We would like to extend a big congratulations to all our winners and finalists for their fantastic achievements and the trail-blazing work they are doing to embed sustainability and responsible business practices right across the drinks industry. They are carving out a path for others to follow and showcasing the very best of this most vibrant and innovative of sectors.” 

The annual awards are the barometer for sustainability and responsible business practice for the drinks industry. The awards are open to drinks businesses, suppliers and stakeholders of all sizes operating in the hospitality and out of home arena.

See pictures from the Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards Dinner here

See film from the Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards Dinner here

The 2022 Winners and Highly Commended in their chosen categories are as follows: 

The Special Achievement Award 2022
sponsored by Matthew Clark

Andy Kershaw, Marstons PLC

The Energy Efficiency Award 2022
sponsored by Britvic Soft Drinks

Winner: Budweiser Brewing Group UK & I
Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I recognises the importance of partnerships when solving sustainability challenges. We are working closely with our valued partners to implement different projects to reduce carbon emissions and progress towards our goal of carbon neutral brewing operations at our UK breweries in 2026. This includes the deployment of green hydrogen and the introduction of green transport initiatives at Magor brewery; however, we are exploring new and innovative ways to develop our sustainability initiatives. 

Highly Commended: Asahi UK
Our Draught Technical Services Team cover 200,000 miles every year, visiting pubs, bars and restaurants to make sure their beer dispense systems are operating as efficiently as possible. With this project, they showed an inspirational but practical, people-first approach to carbon-reduction. Replacing petrol vans with PHEVs, and setting themselves behaviour-change challenge to deliver 25% of all mileages using the electric capacity of the vehicles. 

The Sustainable Use of Water Award 2022
Sponsored by UK Hospitality

Winner: Small Beer Brew Co
James Grundy and Felix James of London based brewery Small Beer have designed a bespoke brewery which has saved over 2.2 million litres of water in the past year alone. Their efforts have inspired breweries, suppliers and a local aquarium to significantly reduce their own water consumption. Their aim is to spread their methodologies far and wide to reduce the impact of global water shortage. 

Highly Commended: Journey’s End Vineyards
Journey’s End is an award-winning South African winery that is committed to sustainably and ethically producing premium wines. It’s extremely vigilant with water conservation and supply and is largely self-sufficient. Through a network of waterways and two of its own boreholes, JE has created a water system where water is collected from rain, streams and irrigation run-off, refunneled into dams, distributed throughout the vines and cellar or recycled, cleaned and used elsewhere on the farm. 

The Sustainable Use of Raw Materials Award 2022
Sponsored by Adnams

Winner: Whyte and Mackay
Whyte and Mackay are sowing the seeds of sustainable success through the Grow Scotland initiative that focuses on using local grain to make our award-winning Scotch Whisky. The objective is to grow sustainably through building a collaborative relationship with our local farming community around the Invergordon Distillery. This initiative not only reduces the impact on the environment but also grows local economies and local communities creating a circular economy. 

Highly Commended: William Grant & Sons Discarded Spirits Co
Discarded Spirits Co. set out to be the leaders on the sustainable spirits movement. By creating award winning spirits from by-products of the food and drink industry, they turn trash into treasure, and use their Zero Waste spirits to challenge how consumers and the trade view waste. They use their position at the forefront of this movement to encourage bartenders and venues to reduce their impact on the environment by making waste taste beautiful. 

The Environmentally Efficient Logistics Award 2022
Sponsored by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

Winner: Asahi UK
Our Draught Technical Services Team cover 200,000 miles every year, visiting pubs, bars and restaurants to make sure their beer dispense systems are operating as efficiently as possible. With this project, they showed an inspirational but practical, people-first approach to carbon-reduction. Replacing petrol vans with PHEVs, and setting themselves behaviour-change challenge to deliver 25% of all mileages using the electric capacity of the vehicles. 

Highly Commended: KILO ZIRO
Kilo Ziro is the UK’s first Zero-Waste Café Bar & Refill Taproom. Jeanette & Tom’s experience in setting up award-winning zero- waste supermarkets has led them to continue their mission to reduce waste, in hospitality. Established only 4 months ago, they’ve significantly reduced single-use packaging & food waste by using closed-loop systems with suppliers and innovative ways of repurposing ‘waste ‘, making them a leading example of Environmentally Efficient Logistics in On Trade Drinks. 

The Innovations in Packaging Award 2022
Sponsored by Pernod Ricard

Winner: Sustainable Spirit Co
The Sustainable Spirit Company’s bottle refill and reuse scheme began in 2012 and has been refined, retuned and rebooted multiple times over the last 10 years. We believe our current system – the ecoPouch – is the most tried and tested and robust solution to elimating single use glass in spirits industry. 

Highly Commended: Frugalpac
British sustainable packaging company Frugalpac wants to save the planet one bottle at a time with Frugal Bottle – the world’s first commercially available paper bottle for wines, spirits and olive oils.
The company now has 27 drinks brands around the world using the Frugal Bottle, has just sold its first paper bottle machine for export and was praised by the Department for International Trade as “doing incredible things to help build a global sustainable future.” 

The Waste Prevention & Management Award 2022
Sponsored by Nestlé Professional

Winner: BrewDog
BrewDog’s on-site bio-energy project will reduce its local environmental impact, helping deliver its ambitious 2023 zero- emissions target. The on-site plant is fully integrated with the brewery, and can be deployed across food or beverage processing sites. The facility converts unwanted liquid residues into on-site bio-energy, reduces site emissions from effluent disposal and fossil fuel use, avoids off-site disposal of energy bearing residues, facilitating on-site re-use and will produce clean HGV fuel, water and green CO2. 

Highly Commended: Sustainable Spirit Co
The Sustainable Spirit Company’s bottle refill and reuse scheme began in 2012 and has been refined, retuned and rebooted multiple times over the last 10 years. We beleive our current system is the most tried and tested and robust solution to elimating single use glass in spirits industry. 

The Social Impact Award 2022
Sponsored by Novati

Winner: Journey’s End Vineyards
Journey’s End Vineyards is focused on producing wines in the most responsible way possible, and community initiatives are part of their broader sustainable approach. As many of the cellar and vineyard team live in the local Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, it was a given to extend their support.
Through Journey’s End Foundation, the winery brings together its community initiatives, from meal programmes, supporting the local school, and tackling issues surrounding gender inequality – specifically gender-based violence. 

Highly Commended: Peak & Wild Coffee
Peak & Wild coffee was launched in early 2022 with a three year commitment to restoring 1,000 hectares of endangered Scottish rainforest and funding 2,500 John Muir Awards. After 5 months, 487 Awards have been achieved by young people in the City of Glasgow alone, which equates to 5,747 hours of practical conservation volunteering in the local community. 202 of these Awards were completed by individuals who may face barriers to accessing nature-based outdoor activities. 

The Stakeholder Engagement Award 2022
Sponsored by Budweiser Brewing Group

Winner: Nestlé Professional
For 10 years, Nescafé has been engaging in sustainable coffee projects through the Nescafé Plan. Through this work there have been achievements such as 46% reduction in carbon emissions, and 53% less water withdrawal. However, these are largely unknown by both our customers and consumers. ‘The Change is in Your Hands’ sought to change that, by informing customers and consumers about our sustainability credentials, through a multi-channel campaign – a first for Nescafé in the UK. 

Highly Commended: Fever-Tree
Engaging with others is vital to delivering sustainable change. To tackle our carbon footprint, we’ve interacted with all parts of our supply chain whilst partnering with climate experts to measure, reduce, and offset our emissions. To reduce waste, we’ve needed to innovate with our partners, from the packaging of our mixers to the ingredients we source. Partnerships also help us support causes we care passionately about, from driving malaria prevention to advancing biodiversity and education. 

The C&C Group On-Trade Operator of the Year Award 2022

Winner: Revolution Bars Group
Revolution Bars Group has committed to ambitious science-based targets of reaching Net Zero by 2030 and is heavily investing in technology and initiatives in order to do so. From removing passionfruit garnishes, to its team of Zero Heroes, to a new pilot site in Reading, the Group has put itself on the right path and is proud of the tremendous progress it has already made towards securing a greener future. 

Highly Commended: Apricity
Apricity, the latest restaurant from Chantelle Nicholson, means the warmth of the sun in winter, and symbolises regeneration, rejuvenation, generosity, and light. A low waste restaurant, the team have consciously reconsidered everything they do from displaying the menu to washing the dishes. They work directly with local suppliers and champion British produce, promoting wonderful makers, growers and farmers. All with a delicious, and zero-waste approach to cooking, dining and drinking. 

The C&C Group On-Trade Supplier of the Year Award 2022

Winner: Avallen Spirits
Avallen is the delicious moment where flavour and sustainability converge. A climate positive Certified B Corp and 1% For The Planet member, Avallen is hoping to lead the industry as an example of a company that does good, makes delicious products, saves some bees, and has fun along the way. 

Highly Commended: Accolade Wines
Accolade Wines has led the way in sustainable wines in the past two years thanks to the carbon neutrality across its UK- packaged core branded portfolio. As well as offering carbon neutral exclusives for the on-trade, Accolade Wines is also supporting the sustainability of the wider wine category thanks to the green initiatives at the manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution facility, The Park. 

About Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards

The Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards is the barometer for ESG and responsible business practice for the drinks industry in the out of home sector.

Few industries rely on raw materials, water, energy and packaging as much as those involved in the production of alcohol and soft drinks. Carbon outputs through manufacturing processes and distribution, not to mention the waste implications, are evidence of a global industry with a huge collective responsibility that is arguably more beholden to climate and environmental conditions than many others. Add to that the social agenda; the impact the drinks industry has on its constituents’ health, with the effects of excess alcohol and sugar consumption taking increasing chunks out of the NHS budget, along with other social aspects such as the living wage, gender, diversity and worker welfare. 

Individual brands and supply chains have a significant duty to work towards minimising impacts. 

The consumer is increasingly well informed and business reputations can rise and fall over an approach to sustainable practice. What even five years ago was considered as foresighted innovation is today regarded as the bare minimum and it is no surprise that it is the most successful businesses that have embraced the concept, changed behaviour, and are now leading the way towards a more sustainable and responsible industry. 

The Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards represents the annual celebration of the work that organisations in the drinks industry and its supply chains are doing to in some way redress the balance for the benefit of themselves, their consumers and the industry at large. It is a celebration of initiative and innovation, of commercial imagination and endeavour, that recognises those organisations leading the way.

These awards are open to drinks businesses, suppliers and stakeholders of all sizes operating in the On Trade drinks arena: brand, manufacturer, supply chain, distributor or operator. Entries are judged by a panel of specialists in ESG, the drinks industry and hospitality.

Thanks to all Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards sponsors and partners. Without this support these Awards would not be possible: C&C Group, AB InBev, Adnams, Britvic. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Nestlé Professional, Novati, Pernod Ricard, UK Hospitality and media partner FSC.

Thanks also to our panel of judges: David Basson, James Chase, Rozanne Davis, Oliver Drury, Tom Fiennes, Dave Gudgeon, Richard Hayhoe, Julian Hunt, James Smith and Louise Wright.