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Brewing for tomorrow: reducing our carbon footprint

At Duvel Moortgat, we are building the future of beer with respect for people and the planet. A world without beer? We don’t even want to think about it!

Our sustainability strategy rests on three pillars and nine themes. One of these pillars is “Preserve what we serve”, which brings together all our actions related to our environmental impact. At the heart of this pillar lies reducing our carbon footprint: the promise to drastically cut our CO₂ emissions and help limit global warming.

Our approach

Scope 1 & 2


Brewing one hectolitre of beer requires about 60 kWh of energy, 80% of which is heat. To reduce Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 42% by 2030, we are investing in energy efficiency, electrification and renewable energy. In our breweries, we implement energy-saving measures such as LED lighting, smart control systems and heat recovery. We integrate electric boilers with heat pumps, expand solar capacity in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and the US, and convert wastewater into biogas. We are also exploring innovative solutions such as solar thermal energy and industrial heat loops. Finally, we are committed to CO₂ recovery: capturing and reusing CO₂ released during fermentation.

Scope 3: value chain


As much as 85% of our total emissions fall within Scope 3, which covers the entire chain. This is our greatest challenge, as it requires close collaboration with suppliers and partners.

  • Raw materials: agriculture and ingredients account for 22% of our footprint. That is why we support regenerative farming practices and work closely with suppliers.
  • Packaging: representing 35% of the footprint, this is the biggest opportunity for reduction. We focus on reusable, lighter and recyclable packaging with lower CO₂ impact.
  • Logistics: both upstream and downstream, we explore low-emission transport and collaborate with partners to electrify fleets.
  • Cooling: a major source of downstream emissions. We therefore promote the use of renewable energy among customers and consumers.

Progress through innovation: CO₂ recovery

Brewing is an energy-intensive process in which CO₂ is essential, for example to remove oxygen, for carbonation and for packaging. At the same time, fermentation naturally produces CO₂ when yeast converts sugar into alcohol. This raises a simple question: why buy CO₂ if we are already producing it ourselves?

That is why Duvel Moortgat has been investing for years in solutions to capture this biogenic CO₂ instead of releasing it into the atmosphere, and to reuse it. We have now commissioned new installations in our breweries in Puurs-Sint-Amands and Firestone Walker.

Both installations capture CO₂ released during fermentation and reuse it in the bottling and packaging of our beer. Although the technology is still being refined, the impact is already clear: thanks to this circular approach, brewing becomes significantly more sustainable.

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