Greene King, the country’s leading pub company and brewer, is seeing a shift away from the reliance on fossil fuels in day-to-day pub operations as electric power takes precedence.
As a focus on sustainability is embedded across Greene King’s pub estate and support functions, there has been a switch from fossil fuels which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, towards cleaner energy, matching 100% electricity usage to renewables.
Almost a third of its managed pub estate now has electric and electric-ready kitchens as gas-powered kitchens are being replaced. The use of electric vehicles is also becoming more widespread.
Andrew Bush, Greene King’s chief experience officer, said: “There has been a real collective effort from our pub teams and support centre teams to use more sustainable power sources, whether that’s in the vehicles they choose to drive, or the fuels used to cook customers’ meals. These behavioural and infrastructure changes can be led by the business and by individuals. We continue to look at our daily operations, working with our suppliers and offering our customers sustainable choices, as we progress towards net zero.”
Pub investment projects feature decarbonisation works such as the infrastructure for electric-ready kitchens. To date, 473 pub kitchens – approximately 30% of Greene King’s managed estate – are operating as fully electric. In addition, overall energy efficiency in pubs continues to be boosted through investment in voltage optimisation equipment, reducing the need for resources.
The redevelopment of Greene King’s new Middleton Distribution Centre in Greater Manchester includes solar panels covering 8,000 square metres, generating a targeted 1.2 million kWH per year. This will meet circa 50% of the power needed when the depot is fully operational next year. The equipment which is used to move and store products throughout the site, including forklift and reach trucks, is fully electric. As many as 240,000 cases of food and non-food, plus 465 tonnes of drink will pass through the new depot doors on a weekly basis.
The switch to electric power is further bolstered by team members with almost double the number of mileage expenses claims for electric vehicles, compared to last year.
Business mileage is increasingly being made in electric vehicles with 23% of all expenses claims relating to electric in 2024, compared to 12% in 2023.
There is a wider provision for electric vehicle drivers generally with the ongoing roll out of electric vehicle charging hubs for customers and team members. There are in the region of 1,500 bays available across the managed pub estate, offices and support centres. Charging points are available at around 20% of Greene King’s managed pubs. The aim is to have 1,900 bays across 400 locations by the end of the year.
There are further advances in green transport with a new fleet of 22 Eco-Blue vehicles for Greene King’s Property Services and Maintenance team. These vans are used to deliver essential maintenance services to pubs and properties across the UK. Inside there are 240V invertors to charge up power tools while driving between jobs. This team also has sustainable uniforms which have been designed from recyclable materials.
These collective actions demonstrate Greene King’s ongoing progress towards its near-term target to halve all greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero target of 2040, both of which are approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Greene King is a member of the RE100 global initiative which brings together the world’s most influential companies leading the transition to 100% renewable electricity.
The RE100 global initiative is led by Climate Group, in partnership with CDP, and RE100’s mission is to accelerate change towards zero carbon grids at scale. The electricity used in Greene King’s pubs, breweries, head offices and depots is balanced by electricity generated from renewable sources.
