45
PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE , SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
1 2 3 4 5
45
OUR PERFORMANCE
Our goal is to source 80 % of the barley we
use in malt production from sustainable
suppliers . In 2025 , 39 % of the barley
purchased across our global operations
was certif ied sustainable under the
SAI Platform ’ s Farm Sustainability
Assessment or equivalent standards ,
up from 32 % in 2024 . This increase ref lects
the strength of our agronomic partnerships
with farmers and collector organisations .
The assessment sets the global benchmark
for responsible farming and assesses
growers against nearly 200 best - practice
criteria covering soil health ,
biodiversity , resource use
and working conditions . By
aligning our sourcing strategy
with this framework , we help
farmers adopt measurable ,
independently verif ied practices
that strengthen both their
resilience and the sustainability
of our malt supply .
The introduction of sustainable
barley purchases in Australia
was a major contributor to our
overall performance , with 46 % of barley
from this country already categorised
as sustainable in its second year in the
programme . Ukraine also produced
sustainable barley for the f irst time , and we
saw increased volumes in Romania , the
Czech Republic and the United Kingdom .
Sourcing sustainable
barley is central to our
ambition to advance
responsible agriculture .
Working directly with
farmers and grain
merchants , we are
accelerating the adoption
of regenerative agriculture
practices that protect soil
health , biodiversity and
water resources , while
reducing emissions in the
agricultural stage of our
value chain .
PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE BARLEY
Ongoing SAI audit preparations in the United
States and Canada are paving the way for
future certif ication in other regions .
Working with Souff let Agriculture ,
the programme with Carlsberg
uses on - farm diagnostics and
independent audits to assess
farmers against core regenerative
principles such as maximum soil
cover and crop diversif ication .
Initially launched in France in 2022 ,
the model has now reached critical
scale ( 70 % of malts used by
Carlsberg to make 1664 Blonde
comes from this programme
and this number will reach
100 % in 2026 ) . Operating through
segregated supply chain models ,
it ensures verif ied origin and full
traceability from f ield to malthouse .
What began as a limited agreement
to incorporate sustainably grown
barley into the beer 1664 , has now
evolved into a fully regenerative
agriculture value chain ( see case
study on page 53 ) .
From 2026 , the model keeps its
sustainable practices and moves to
a regenerative agriculture system ,
in line with the SAI Regenerative
Framework .
Sustainability Report 2025 Malting a world of difference