An Evolving Industry
The Scotch Whisky industry was the first industry in Scotland to launch a sector-wide Environmental Strategy in 2009, putting ambitions in place early on to reflect the importance of sustainability to the industry.
The Strategy was pioneering and ambitious for its time, setting a number of targets that took the industry beyond legal compliance. Even at launch in 2009, we recognised that the Strategy would need to evolve to meet more stretching sustainability ambitions and to reflect better data and changes to reporting requirements. Our updated and revised sustainability ambitions were launched in 2021, and since then we have continued to revise and update them to reflect the availability of information, latest research and in response to a changing regulatory background. In line with a science-based approach this evolution will continue into the future as we respond to the challenges and opportunities ahead.
The Backdrop
- 148 distilleries
- 22 million casks maturing
- Exports worth £6.2bn, shipping to 174 markets
Our industry is over 500 years old, and there are distillery sites throughout Scotland that have stood for more than a century alongside those which are still under construction. Sustainability and working towards Net Zero is a complex challenge, and each site will have its own unique journey.
Driving down emissions: Net Zero
Net Zero in our emissions is our ambition, including those in our own operations (known as scope 1 and 2) and incorporating those produced across our supply chains, known as scope 3. More broadly, our industry aims to achieve Net Zero across all three scopes by 2045 in line with a science-based approach.
Reporting | Reviewing | Renewing
What is a science-based approach?
Environmental targets have to evolve, or they become redundant. What was thought of as unachievable in one decade can be surpassed in the next, as technology improves and as legislation progresses to meet the climate crisis head-on. Taking a science-based approach ensures that:
- We are using recent, consistent data gathered from across our member companies to inform, make and manage decisions
- We monitor and analyse changes in national and global regulation on climate change, and its impact on our sector
- We frame any progress against the backdrop of the Scotch Whisky industry’s continued growth
What gets measured, gets managed. A science and evidence-based approach allows the SWA to inform and support Scotch Whisky companies in their own work to decarbonise and invest in the most efficient sustainability methods.