We Can’t Fumble on Climate Action
Climate Change is Bigger than the Big Game; New Belgium is Holding Beer to a Higher Bar with IsMyBeerSustainable.com
Most years, sitting down for the big game means football, friends, family, food, and of course, beer. This year will be a little different. You still can enjoy a Fat Tire (at a distance or within your pod). And instead of spending on commercials, our beer industry friends also are supporting important issues from the economy to the pandemic to racial justice. We applaud these efforts. So many of us have come together to support our communities and fight injustice – work that must continue with urgency.
At the same time, businesses need to accelerate efforts to solve the climate crisis, which is warming our water, causing more destructive and deadly wildfires every year, making many regions of our planet uninhabitable – and rapidly diminishing the conditions that make it possible to make the beers we all enjoy on game day.
That’s why Fat Tire Amber Ale is America’s first and only Certified Carbon Neutral beer. We’re the first, but we don’t want to be the last. Today, we’re launching IsMyBeerSustainable.com so consumers who care about how climate solutions and beer intersect can find out if popular brews are certified carbon neutral. We’ll update the site as these brands announce certification, and we’re also letting the beer industry know we’ll be sharing our Fat Tire carbon neutral blueprint with any company looking to take this crucial next step. As a medium-sized craft brewer, we only can have a small impact. We need the biggest beer companies to join us in order to achieve real impact and show beer drinkers what we can do if we work together.
“Without stronger climate action across our industry, the future of our communities, our planet and our beers are at risk,” said New Belgium Brewing CEO Steve Fechheimer. “We need our elected officials to take bold action, and we also need to hold businesses to a higher bar, including our own. We hope other beer companies will join us in going carbon neutral as an important first step, so everyone can drink more sustainably.”
In 2020, Fat Tire became America's first certified carbon neutral beer. From the barley field to the brewhouse to the beer aisle – Fat Tire is Certified Carbon Neutral by SCS Global Services. Earning and maintaining this high-integrity certification not only requires that we offset our footprint using the highest quality carbon offsets on the market, but that we disclose our footprint and directly reduce our emissions every single year. By 2030, we plan all of New Belgium’s beers to be certified carbon neutral.
Climate change is bigger than the big game. We know carbon neutral certification is not the end of the journey. It is a crucial step in showing beer drinkers we’re doing our part to reduce our carbon emissions and solve critical climate issues. To protect the future of our communities, our planet and our brews, we all must do our part.
Check out ismybeersustainable.com and go to DrinkSustainably.com to learn more.
About Fat Tire
Fat Tire Amber Ale was first introduced by New Belgium Brewing in 1991. The award-winning easy-drinking ale from Colorado instantly became a favorite of skiers, climbers and cyclists across small mountain towns before then establishing itself as one of America’s most popular beers. A member of 1% For The Planet, Fat Tire has embodied a commitment to social and environmental responsibility for nearly 30 years by implementing energy efficient brewing practices, advocating for public lands protection and most recently becoming America’s first certified carbon neutral beer in July 2020.
About New Belgium Brewing
New Belgium Brewing is recognized as a leader in sustainability and social responsibility. Founded in 1991 in Fort Collins, Colorado, the company expanded to Asheville, North Carolina in 2016 and Denver, Colorado in 2018 and is now the 4th largest craft brewery in the U.S. Dedicated to proving that business can be a force for good, New Belgium is a Certified B Corp and was the first brewery to join 1% For The Planet. The brewery has donated over $26 million to charitable causes since 1991. New Belgium is famous for its flagship beer, Fat Tire Amber Ale, along with year-round favorites like Voodoo Ranger IPA and La Folie Sour Brown Ale; as well as an award-winning wood-aged sour program and innovative limited release beers. To learn more about the full product lineup and New Belgium’s Human Powered Business model, visit NewBelgium.com