Never Settle: Guinness announces plans to introduce zero emission transport

12 January: Today Guinness announced plans to introduce the first zero emission vehicles into its iconic Quality fleet from this summer, driven by a team of dedicated and passionate experts who work to make sure consumers can enjoy beautiful, great tasting pints of Guinness. The ambition is for 70% of the Quality fleet to be zero emission by the end of 2025, and 100% by the end of the decade.

Guinness already has a zero emission vehicle, which is used exclusively at the brewery. This week, it is being used in a trial to transport bulk beer in the Guinness tankers from St James’s Gate to Dublin Port, which will help determine if it can be used to transport heavy goods beyond the brewery.

Additionally, Guinness will be adding four zero emission trucks later this year to its fleet which will be used in a separate trial to deliver kegs to the hospitality trade in Dublin City, with an ambition to extend further if successful.

“We’re really pleased to announce that we will be introducing the first zero emission vehicles into our Quality fleet from this summer. We are committed to reducing our indirect emissions through this initiative and want to play a key role for sustainable transport in the commercial sector in Ireland. We are only 263 years into our 9,000-year lease on the St. James’s Gate Brewery, and we are in it for the long haul – for our people, our products and our planet, and we will never settle in pursuit of a better, more sustainable future for everyone.”
Barry O’ Sullivan
Managing Director, Diageo Ireland

Today’s announcement forms part of Diageo’s wider 10-year sustainability action plan, Society 2030: Spirit of Progress, which outlines the company’s commitment to delivering net zero carbon emissions across its direct operations and a reduction in indirect emissions by 50%.

Guinness Transport through the ages – from horse and cart to zero emission vehicles

1759 - accommodation for stabling 12 horses was part of the 1759 lease
1873 - Jetty built at Victoria Quay to allow barges to travel up and down the Liffey
1877 - St James’s Gate railway completed with a link to Kingsbridge (Heuston) station
1901 - first motor vehicles used in the brewery
1913 - first Guinness owned ship purchased to travel from Dublin Port to UK
1951 - bulk road tankers were introduced to deliver Guinness in bulk to holding tanks in bottler’s premises around Ireland.
1953 - transportable tanks (14 barrel metal containers) were introduced to deliver Guinness in bulk to the Cross Channel trade via the Guinness ships.
1970s -further liquid bulk tankers were added, known as ‘silver bullets’
1961 - horses and barges last used
1993 - Guinness owned ships last used
2021 – First zero emission vehicle used in the brewery

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