The Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain
Title: Renewable Energy Centre at Simpsons Malt’s Tweed Valley Maltings
Subject Area: Energy efficiency / Carbon footprint reduction
Objectives: To significantly reduce Scope 1 & 2 emissions from malt production
- To use renewable heat sources for the energy-intensive kilning process
To support decarbonisation of brewing and distilling sectors through supply of lower carbon malt
Project Description: In partnership with AMP Clean Energy, Simpsons Malt Limited commissioned an Energy Centre at its Tweed Valley Maltings site in Berwick-upon-Tweed – the largest malting site in the UK.
Operational from late 2024, the Energy Centre features:
- Three 6MW biomass boilers using a fuel blend made from clean forestry residues, urban tree management waste and sawmill offcuts
- A 12MW electric boiler powered by curtailed wind energy – excess renewable electricity that would otherwise be wasted during periods of low grid demand
The electric boiler, a UK-first for industrial heat decarbonisation, takes advantage of Berwick-upon-Tweed’s location in a low-demand grid zone, providing cost-effective access to surplus wind power.
The project demonstrates a combination of renewables, grid flexibility and industrial heat generation – addressing one of the sector’s most carbon-intensive processes.
Outcomes: Up to 90% reduction in carbon footprint of kilning process
- Up to 76% reduction in the carbon footprint of malt produced at TVM
- Up to 55% reduction in Simpsons Malt’s Scope 1 & 2 emissions company-wide
- 25,000 tonnes of CO₂ saved annually – equivalent to gas used by 11,000 homes
Supports wider Scotch whisky industry efforts to decarbonise. SWA is targeting net zero emissions across all scopes by 2045.
Additional Notes:
- In combining both biomass and electric boiler, the project is first of its kind in the UK
- As a Certified B Corporation, this project aligns with Simpsons Malt’s broader objective of achieving net zero Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2030.
Title 2: Return-A-Bag Scheme
Subject Area: Improved packaging and recycling
Objectives: Recycle waste polypropylene malt sacks and totes, regardless of supplier, at only the cost of delivery.
To be an industry leader, offering a recycling solution for polypropylene packaging.
Project Description: Return-A-Bag was officially launched by Crisp Malt on 16th July 2025 with the purpose of offering an easy yet affordable recycling scheme for waste polypropylene sacks and totes to customers, which is not supplier specific. The scheme will be rolled out to all the Anglia Maltings (Holdings) business units to algin with one of our overarching sustainability goals of Zero Waste.
The recycling of plastic malt sacks has been an industry-wide challenge for many years, mainly due to the difficulties around the local recycling of polypropylene. Within the last year, through our previous partnership for recycling, we are proud to have worked with many of you to recycle 6,194kg of waste malt sacks, which is equivalent to 67,430 25kg malt sacks.
This year, we’ve launched Return-A-Bag, a new, more affordable recycling scheme that offers a bulk method of collecting and recycling your empty plastic malt sacks, minus the associated recycling or handling fees. The only cost attached is the transportation fee from your site to the waste aggregation facility, based near Swindon.
Sacks sent through the Return-A-Bag scheme are initially collected and grouped at the aggregation facility. They are then recycled by third-party certified processors, which Crisp Malt regularly audits, ensuring full traceability. The waste malt sacks are processed into secondary raw material and reintegrated back into supply chains, often as garden furniture, playground flooring, hard plastics, and more. This recycled material is used by manufacturers, replacing virgin plastics, ultimately reducing fossil fuel usage.
Outcomes: So far, in the first 6 weeks of launching the scheme:
- Total of 1,672kg of waste malt sacks recycled
- Equivalent to over 17,900 waste 25kg malt sacks
- Total number of pallets sent for recycling: 34
- Total number of customers onboarded: 25
We continue to encourage all of our customers to sign up to Return-A-Bag.
Additional Information:
Return-A-Bag | Waste Malt Sacks Recycling Scheme | Zero Waste