Scottish craft brewer BrewDog, today launched what will be the final round of its record-breaking crowdfunding programme, with Equity for Punks: Tomorrow.
After announcing on 22 August that the craft brewer is now carbon negative, (which led to Forbes dubbing BrewDog the “world’s first carbon negative beer business”), BrewDog has now unveiled an opportunity for its community to support its sustainable initiatives.
Every single penny of the money raised through Equity for Punks Tomorrow will be committed to cutting-edge sustainability projects including direct wind power, CO2 recovery, electric vehicle fleets, and converting waste into energy. All of these projects will help make BrewDog ever more sustainable as a business.
The launch of Equity for Punks Tomorrow was also confirmed to be the last of BrewDog’s crowdfunding rounds. Since its initial launch in 2009, Equity for Punks has raised over £75m from 148,000 investors, which has supported investment and expansion across its business globally.
Equity for Punks Tomorrow signals the most ambitious series of projects from BrewDog to date, as it embarks on a journey to completely reduce emissions from its brewing operations to zero in less than 24 months.
Smaller scale projects supporting this goal are already underway, through an initial investment from the business. These include the BrewDog Forest, a 2,000 acre site in Scotland that the brewer will be funding as a means to remove carbon from the air, and use of recycled materials across its product packaging.
Equity for Punks Tomorrow will look to accelerate the implementation of green infrastructure and technology across its global operations, with projects including:
• Direct wind power - through owned wind power from three turbines situated close to the brewery, rather than use of existing third-party suppliers.
• Anaerobic Digestion - that will turn wastewater into green gas and clean water, both of which we can then reuse in its brewery.
• Co2 Recovery - capture all of the CO2 emitted in the fermentation process and then use it downstream to carbonate its beers, reducing material requirements.
• Spent grain to green gas - the industry normally feeds its spent grain to cattle, but BrewDog is going to turn its spent grain into green gas which can help power its operations.
• BrewDog Tomorrow bars - fund the construction of three bars, that are zero waste, carbon neutral, and a depot for closed loop delivery solutions.
• Electric vehicle fleet - eliminating fossil fuels from its distribution network through electrification of its vehicle fleet.
• Columbus Hop Farm – BrewDog’s US brewery is located on a 42 acre plot with ample space for its own hop farm, enabling the brewer to produce its own ingredients as locally as possible.
The latest round of Equity for Punks is looking to raise an initial target of £7.5m, with the stretch goal of £50m, by releasing 298,210 B shares. The round will run for an initial 150 days closing on [29 January 2021]. Shares will cost £25.15 each and be issued in blocks of two, with the minimum investment of two shares for £50.30.
Any funds raised above its initial target will support a wider set of projects from a £10m investment into solar panels at its breweries across the globe, a £12.5m brewery to be built in France, the brewers biggest export market in order to reduce the brewer’s carbon footprint when selling beer in the region, and a brewery in Asia to more efficiently service growth markets in China, Japan and India by reducing the environmental impact.
Co-founder James Watt commented, “In 2009, we launched Equity for Punks, and pioneered a new kind of business model. Equity for Punks Tomorrow is the next evolution of this, uniting investors across the globe to make a change today to ensure we have a planet to brew beer on tomorrow. We believe in action not promises, change is not happening fast enough, it’s time to set a new standard for sustainability, and invest in a future we’re proud of.”
In August 2020, BrewDog released its new sustainability report, in collaboration with esteemed writer and environmentalist Professor Mike Berners-Lee. The report detailed the calculations underpinning BrewDog’s understanding of its impact on the planet, and outlined the key initiatives it will focus on to limit and counteract its emissions. The report presented the detailed plans for the business’ sustainability measures, and is intended to set a new standard for other businesses to follow suit.
The raise is part of a wider success story from the Scottish brewery, that has substantially increased in value since it began its first crowdfunding campaign, and has to date raised more than £73 million from over 148,000 investors. The investment has allowed it to fund an international expansion plan, 1,600-strong global team, 102 bars around the world, and four world-class breweries in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Columbus, Ohio, Berlin, Germany and Brisbane, Australia, and support its exporting operations to 60 countries worldwide.
Investors who back the latest round from BrewDog will not only see their money support important sustainability projects, but they will also benefit from perks as an Equity Punk, too. Equity for Punks Tomorrow benefits include sustainable supper clubs, vegan food discounts, exclusive, limited-edition wind-powered beers, sustainably sourced merchandise, and an increased discount on DIY Dog supplies – so shareholders can brew their own beer from home.
Plus, investors will get their own tree dedicated to them in the BrewDog forest. Furthermore, Equity Punks can refer their friends to invest, and rack up points that unlock prizes. The top 5 referrers from Equity for Punks Tomorrow will win an exclusive, limited-edition electric bicycle from VanMoof.