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20th April 2021

OVER 107 MILLION PINTS OF WATER SAVED BY DRINKING AT GREEN PINT PUBS

As pubs re-open after lockdown, consumers can now seek out public houses serving sustainable Green Pints in their area

  • With 15 million pints set to have been drunk during the opening week, Brits could be drinking a sustainable pint and helping the environment without even knowing it
  • Thanks to Green Pint Pubs, consumers can now choose to drink a more sustainable pint of beer now pubs have re-opened
  • 107 million pints of water have been saved thanks to the revolutionary energy-efficient smart technology which works from the cellar to serve

We’re finally back to drinking pints in pubs again after such a long time, and it’s fair to say the nation has missed draught beer and cider with 14 million pub bookings already made1 and a whopping 15 million pints set to have been drunk during opening week alone2. However, what Brits might not know is they could choose to drink a more sustainable pint or may even be drinking one without even knowing it.

Green Pint from HEINEKEN UK is already transforming sustainability and waste reduction in the pub trade, thanks to pioneering draught cooling technology3 found in over 6,500 pubs and bars all over the UK, with many more set to follow.

A Green Pint Pub powered by HEINEKEN’s SmartDispenseTM technology saves 83% of water compared to a pub using a standard dispense system, whilst ensuring their customer gets a perfect quality pint served at sub-5°C every time.

Over the past seven years the impact of Green Pint pubs using revolutionary technology, has resulted in 107m pints of water and 394 tonnes of CO2 saved, thanks to this energy-efficient smart technology which works from the cellar to serve. That’s the equivalent to almost 340,000 full bathtubs of water3 saved, just by enjoying a sustainable pint from a Green Pint Pub.

With 79% of consumers4 changing their purchase preference based on sustainability, pubs across the UK are now able to shout about their sustainable ‘green pub’ credentials. To find out where your nearest Green Pint pub is, punters can head to the ‘Green Pint’ map on Useyourlocal.com from 17th May 2021.

Patrick Frawley, Landlord of The Gun Pub, London said: “On the surface, The Gun may look like your normal pub. However, what our customers cannot see is that we have embraced one of the most advanced technologies available to ensure the most sustainable pints are being poured every time. Our customers may not be able to see the difference in their green pint, but they can taste it with the consistency of serve every time.”

Richard Stephens, Head of SmartDispense and Draught Quality, HEINEKEN UK said: “When we make sustainable purchase decisions, we think that may apply to cars, clothes or groceries, but not our choice of pub. Many British pubs may not have changed in appearance for centuries, but thanks to Green Pint powered by SmartDispenseTM technology they are at the vanguard of the latest innovation in sustainability and waste reduction.”

-Ends-

Notes to Editors

1-    https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14640157/pub-bookings-beer-garden-table-opening/

2-    https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/14570824/pubs-midnight-reopening-sunday/

3-    Traditional UK systems have bare beer lines running from cellars which are cooled to 12ºC. SmartDispense™ uses green cooling (hydrocarbon) technology to cool beer towards OºC and is extremely well insulated from keg coupler to tap, giving sub- 3ºC in glass; a refreshing temperature preferred by consumers. This insulation works in balance with efficient cooling, reducing energy loss for a greater environmental result.

The SmartDispenseTM offering includes:

  • Right-sizing of the cellar (reducing energy consumption as you are not cooling unnecessary cellar space)
  • Keeping the beer chilled from keg to tap, meaning the beer does not warm up in the lines.  This means less fobbing, better quality and no need to pull through at the start of a session – the first pint should be just as good as the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. reducing beer and cider wastage.  In part, this is due to the unique cooling and insulation in the system, which keeps cider and beer away from light and below five degrees
  • Ensuring the cellar is cooled and maintained appropriately, meaning the cellar cooling is not overworked and the temperature remains correct for that outlet set up, reducing beer fobbing (and wastage)
  • Training is provided, so staff know how to pour a perfect pint, correctly manage the cellar and carry out basic hygiene requirements meaning that less beer and cider is wasted.
  • The first time the beer or cider sees light after being put in the keg at the brewery is when it reaches the glass. All this should mean your pint of beer and cider tastes cool, crisp and refreshing every time.

How do you extend the line cleaning and guarantee quality?

Line cleaning can be extended, and beer quality guaranteed by introducing technical modifications to the dispense system which ensure that the temperature of the beer in line does not exceed 5˚C – this stymies any bacterial growth in the system.  All line cleaning is carried out as part of the 29-point professional service, carried out by a SmartDispense technician.  By extending the line cleaning from weekly to once every 6- or even 12-weeks, this reduces water, CO2, cleaning products, beer and cider waste by 83% as well as saving 156 hours of line cleaning.  Some of the bar systems do not even require cleaning at all!

A Green Pint Pub powered by HEINEKEN’s SmartDispenseTM technology saves 83% of water compared to a pub using a standard dispense system when compared with a standard dispense system which requires weekly line cleaningA single bath holds 180 litres of water – https://bathbarn.co.uk/bathtub-capacity-how-much-water-does-a-bath-hold/

4-    https://www.capgemini.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/20-06_9880_Sustainability-in CPR_Final_Web-1.pdf 7,500 consumers Globally – April 2020

About HEINEKEN UK:

Headquartered in Edinburgh, HEINEKEN is the UK’s leading pub, cider and beer business. Committed to supporting a thriving on-trade – underpinned by an ethos of ‘Growing Together’, the company owns around 2,500 pubs as part of its Star Pubs & Bars business and employs almost 2,300 people. We are passionate about our cider and beer brands and the outstanding service that we offer to our customers. Our unrivalled portfolio of brands includes Heineken® 0.0, Heineken®, Foster’s, Strongbow, Kronenbourg 1664, John Smith’s, Bulmers, Amstel, Birra Moretti and Old Mout, backed by a full range of niche and specialty brands.

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Press release from Cow PR on behalf of Heineken

Contact: charlotte@cowpr.com