CarslbergBritvic WWF
Project Title: Carlsberg x WWF-UK Partnership
Subject area: Water efficiency/other environmental projects
Objectives: Since 2021, the Carlsberg Britvic’s Carlsberg brand has been working with WWF to protect nature in the UK, initially supporting their work to restore seagrass meadows along the southern UK coastline. In 2023, this collaboration evolved to address the impact Carlsberg Britvic, as a brewer, has more directly on the environment – namely, on the landscapes critical to barley production.
Project description: With 100% of the barley used in Carlsberg Danish Pilsner being sourced from UK farms, Carlsberg Britvic has a strong commitment to supporting local agriculture and sourcing ingredients in a way that provides a more positive environmental impact throughout the brewing process.
WWF is the world’s leading independent environmental organisation. Their mission is to work with communities, businesses and governments in over 100 countries to help people and nature thrive. They work to safeguard the natural world, tackle dangerous climate change and enable people to use only their fair share of natural resources.
Norfolk is one of the UK’s foremost barley growing regions and is a key sourcing area for the barley used in Carlsberg Britvic’s products. The Carlsberg brand’s work with WWF aims to restore the aquatic environment and provide natural solutions to human-made problems. WWF’s delivery partner the Norfolk Rivers Trust (NRT) begin by engaging farmers on water issues and the solutions available, to advocate for the natural environments both within, and surrounding their land.
Funded by the Carlsberg x WWF partnership, the NRT help farmers implement water- and environmentally sensitive-farming methods and develop targeted management solutions that benefit the soil and water, by engaging farmers on the water issues and risks in their area and the interdependencies with local habitats and wildlife.
Interventions range from farm to farm, but the partnership has seen a significant impact to the environment with the following:
PLANTING HEDGEROWS
Hedgerows are strips of trees and shrubs that act as natural “corridors,” connecting different habitats across expanses of farmlands allowing wildlife to move between sections of land. Hedgerows are vital habitats for insects, smaller mammals and amphibians, offering both shelter and natural boundaries, while aiding in the absorption of water and slowing down run off.
SOIL AERATION
When soil becomes compacted, plant roots can struggle to get the nutrition they need, which can cause them to weaken or die. Soil aeration involves creating holes in the ground to allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate more easily so grass and crops develop stronger roots, promoting healthier plants and encouraging lush, vibrant growth, and ultimately reducing water run-off.
SEDIMENT TRAPS
Typically created by digging a small pond or basin, a sediment trap is a designated area strategically placed to catch rainwater carrying away soil as it runs off the land. As the sediment particles gather and settle in the trap, cleaner water flows away. This both protects waterways from pollution and gives farmers a way to prevent soil erosion.
Outcomes: This initiative plays a vital role in safeguarding the local rivers and farmland from waste and agricultural run-off from nearby farmlands, protecting local flora and fauna and reducing the carbon footprint of farming. Through farming interventions with the 38 farmers working with Carlsberg x WWF on the project, this partnership has improved 109 hectares of land, equivalent to 155 football pitches.
One of the ways the partnership measures the success of the project is by monitoring the volume of freshwater that has been ‘replenished’ – meaning the amount of water the project has been able to help farmers store in the soil. The target of the partnership was, by 2026, to have replenished 527 million pints of fresh water in the UK.
As of April 2025, the project has replenished 534m pints of fresh water in the UK, surpassing the target a year early.
Additional information: Since 2023, Carlsberg Britvic (previously Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company Ltd aka CMBC) has donated £489k to WWF-UK (reg. charity no. 1081247 / SC039593), which has already supported participating farmers in East Anglia to replenish 303 million litres of fresh water (WWF modelled figure), helping nature thrive through saving water and reducing river pollution.
See carlsberg.com/en-gb/wwf-farming for more details.