Carlsberg Britvic launches 10-year river restoration partnership
The 10-year partnership will fund nature-based projects across Warwickshire’s Avon catchment, targeting water replenishment, flood management, biodiversity and wetland restoration.
UK – Carlsberg Britvic has launched a 10-year partnership with The Rivers Trust to restore rivers, wetlands and floodplains near its manufacturing site in Rugby, UK, as part of its water replenishment strategy.
The partnership supports Carlsberg Group’s commitment to replenish 100% of water consumed at production sites in high-risk areas by 2032. Rugby has been classified as a high-risk site under the group’s water risk assessment, which considers water availability, quality, regulation and community-related risks.
The initiative will fund nature-based projects across the Warwickshire Avon catchment, around 15 miles from Carlsberg Britvic’s Rugby site. Planned work includes projects on the River Leam and other local waterways to reconnect and enhance floodplains, create wetland habitats and improve the landscape’s ability to store and slow water.
Projects have been selected based on their location within the wider river system, ecological condition and proximity to communities vulnerable to flooding. The work is intended to improve river health while reducing downstream flood risk.
The first project is scheduled to begin in October and will reconnect the River Alne with its natural floodplain. It will also create storage wetlands designed to slow, store and manage water across the landscape.
Carlsberg Britvic said the project is expected to reduce flood risk for downstream communities, including Henley-in-Arden and Alcester, while supporting biodiversity through new wetland and woodland habitats. Severn Rivers Trust, The Rivers Trust’s member organisation for the region, will deliver the work.
The partnership contributes to Carlsberg Britvic’s target of replenishing 100% of the water used at its Rugby site, equivalent to approximately one million cubic metres annually, by 2032. The company has set an interim target of replenishing 400,000 cubic metres per year by 2028.
Based on current assumptions, the projects are estimated to replenish more than 328,000 cubic metres of water annually. Their performance will be monitored over time.
The initiative is Carlsberg Group’s first water replenishment project in Europe and forms part of its wider water stewardship and sustainability programme.
Paul Davies, CEO of Carlsberg Britvic, said: “Water is at the heart of every drink we make, so protecting this precious resource is not only important for our business, it’s a responsibility we take seriously.”
Mark Lloyd, CEO of The Rivers Trust, said the partnership would enable practical, nature-based solutions to restore rivers and catchments, support biodiversity and deliver measurable water benefits.
George Clark, programme manager at Severn Rivers Trust, said the investment would support work with farmers and land managers to reconnect rivers with floodplains, create ponds and wetlands and restore natural processes.
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