Robinsons Brewery & Pubs
Project Title: Decarbonisation strategies of pubs in the Rural Northwest of England
Subject area: Carbon emissions/ Energy efficiency / Sustainability in pubs
Objectives: To reduce reliance on grid supplied natural gas in catering kitchens, and to reduce reliance on grid supplied electricity by generating electricity on site
Project description: Robinsons have trialled several decarbonisation methods in two of their Northwest England pubs.
In April 2024, Robinsons began a journey to more effectively monitor and manage energy consumption across the managed pub estate. Partnering with Cap Energy, Robinsons operational team and all pub managers now have visibility of electricity consumption on an hourly basis. The sites of highest and concerning usage were fitted with appliance level monitoring, allowing for targeted action and significant energy and emission savings to be made.
Electricity consumption reduced by 83,000 kWh in the first 12 months, saving over £21,000 (pubs with no closures for refurbishment were included in this total). In the same pubs the electricity consumption intensity reduced by on average 10 kWh/£’000 net sales, and further reductions continue to be realised as more team members engage with the electricity monitoring dashboard via our Pub Sustainability Rep programme.
In May 2024, 127 425 W solar panels and a 50-kW battery were installed on a block of hotel rooms, at the Bulls Head, Hale Barns. Just over 33,000 kWh of electricity has been generated in the first 12 months, enough to power 12 average UK homes, and suggesting a project payback period of approximately 8 years.
In the peak summer there are times when substantial excess energy being generated could be diverted back to the national grid. This opportunity has been explored, but current low export unit rates and ongoing meter costs make it commercially unviable. Supportive government policy could help unlock its potential and build confidence in further solar investment.
The success of this project has inspired the planning of a new low-carbon guest accommodation. To be constructed later this year (2025), the lodge will feature a further 14 letting rooms. This upcoming building will run entirely on electricity, feature AC cut-off controls that automatically stop cooling when windows are opened and integrate other energy-saving measures to minimise its environmental footprint.
In early 2025, six electric vehicle charging points were added to the car park of this pub for customers to charge their car whilst they dined or stayed. Although this isn’t a direct decarbonisation action, it enhances the customer experience and offers peace of mind for EV drivers, and we are planning to introduce 1 or 2 electric charging points in other strategic locations on our pub estate.
In late 2024 the Wheatley Arms, Ilkley became the first site in the managed pub estate to operate a fully electric kitchen – a pivotal step in the pub estate’s decarbonisation journey. By removing its reliance on natural gas, the team can now serve the full menu using 100% REGO backed renewable electricity, cutting direct carbon emissions from cooking to zero. By providing additional training and menu adjustments the team quickly adapted to the equipment and unlocked further efficiencies, overcoming the initial operational challenges.
Project Title: Waste Reduction success and industry influence of Robinsons Greener Retailing Guide
Subject Title: Waste Reduction
Objectives: To reduce waste from pub retail operations, with a focus on food, an environmental and economically costly asset.
Project Description: Robinsons Brewery introduced the Greener Retailing Guide in 2019 to help pubs reduce environmental impact and improve operational efficiency. The guide has since been updated in 2024 to include new tips and updated figures.
Online link: https://rob-cdn.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/website/policies/2024/new/Greener%20Retailing%20Guide%202024.pdf
It provides practical, low-cost actions suitable for wet led and food led pub operations covering:
- Energy efficiency: optimal cellar set up, glasswasher optimisation, and start-up and shutdown checklists for each key pub area.
- Food waste prevention: portion control, prep-yield tracking, menu design, and daily food waste logs.
- Water stewardship: leak-spotting, making use of water-saving devices, smarter glass maintenance, and washing techniques.
- Recycling and waste: clear signage, bin-placement maps, and contractor specification sheets.
- Staff engagement: short training modules, gamified challenges, colour-coding, and sharing simple data dashboards.
The guide was created with input from several engaged general managers and Pub Partners, combining quick wins with behavioural nudges to embed sustainable practices more widely into their pub peers.
Robinsons embraced Guardians of Grub’s food waste monitoring tools and included the methods in the guide.
Outcomes:
The Ship, Coniston, upgraded their beer pythons of a thinner diameter, and saved 1.5 pints every line clean, equating to a saving of over £3000 in waste beer across their 8-line range.
Since our first Pub Partner, Karen at the Dog and Partridge, Great Moor, was certified as a BII Sustainability Champion, 25 more Pub Partners and over 20 Robinsons managed pubs have received the award. This award is given to hospitality businesses that have gone above and beyond to demonstrate their commitment to operating sustainably.
Three case studies were created on the success of monitoring food waste in three venues offering very different styles of pub-grub.
The Airport, Manchester: https://guardiansofgrub.com/case_studies/the-airport/
After 4 weeks food waste fell by 16%, delivering an annual approximate saving of £4000. Monitoring food waste opened all team members eyes to the opportunities and raised awareness of all types of waste.
The Harrington Arms, Gawsworth: https://guardiansofgrub.com/case_studies/the-harrington-arms-inn/
After 4 weeks the food waste in the pub dropped by 33%, saving an estimated £2000 annually and improving gross profit margins of each dish by 5-6%.
Ship Inn, Roose: https://guardiansofgrub.com/case_studies/the-ship-inn/
Plate waste, food coming back to the kitchen when customers had finished their meal, was found to be the biggest area of food waste at this pub. This was reduced by 67% by the end of the 4 weeks by improving portion control and removing uneaten garnishes. Total food waste dropped by an impressive 72% saving an estimated £2500 annually.
Our kitchen teams are encouraged to monitor food waste for 4 weeks following their seasonal menu updates.
It is hard to pinpoint exactly how much waste has been reduced across all streams in total, as our pub operations continue to grow and change. We are, however, confident in the fact that our pubs are making measurable progress every day, reducing waste at the source and creating long-term cultural change across the business.
Additional Information: The guide was created in partnership/collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University and is recognised as a best practice model.
The guide is freely accessible for all publicans.
While not included in the guide, it is important to mention Robinsons Brewery’s broader educational initiatives. In 2023 they were certified as a Bronze Carbon Literate Organisation their continued commitment to delivering Carbon Literacy Training to their pub support team and head office staff demonstrates a recognition that long-term change depends on knowledge, awareness, and an empowered team.