Lion has published its Sustainability Performance Update this week, which it says outlines the core commitments, which are driving its new ‘Force for Good’ strategy.
The brewer said the strategy emphasises the increased need for bold industry collaborations, underpinned by trusted and transparent relationships to drive wider success than that which Lion could achieve if it was acting in isolation.
In the new report Lion states: “Our motivation is to be a force for good by role modelling climate leadership in our industry with relentless focus on energy efficiency, biogas production, rooftop solar installations and showcasing water stewardship with high volume water recycling technologies at our largest breweries.”
Lion Group Sustainability Director, Justin Merrell, said: “As we go ever deeper into our sustainability journey, we recognise there are limits to what we can achieve alone and opportunities to influence the behaviour of others will be key to drive even greater impact.
“2024 was a pivotal year when we proved the power of collaboration like never before and it will be central to our sustainability strategy from 2025 onwards.”
The report highlights a number of the successful policies, processes and collaborations that the Lion has implemented to help the business reach its environmental and social targets.
Earlier in 2025, Stone & Wood, along with Lion’s supply chain partners Visy, Novelis and Rio Tinto, announced a breakthrough packaging initiative that achieves an average of 83 per cent recycled aluminium content in its beverage cans.
The pilot initiative named Re-In-Can-Ation brought together key players across the aluminium value chain to create a more sustainable beverage can that delivers a 59 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to Stone & Wood’s existing cans.
Merrell said: “This partnership shows what’s possible when industry leaders unite behind a common goal. In this project we’re demonstrating the potential to reduce carbon emissions and conserve resources with the containers our consumers recycle.
“It’s proof that when the full value chain collaborates, we see a stronger circular economy and great benefit to the environment. Only two-thirds of Australia’s aluminium cans are currently recycled so there is still work to do.”
Another important program took place across the ditch when Lion NZ installed one of the country’s largest rooftop solar arrays on the Warehouse at The Pride, New Zealand’s largest brewery and beverage manufacturing facility.
At 1.21 megawatts it’s estimated that the array will generate enough solar energy to provide 14.4 per cent of the brewery’s annual electricity needs – an amount equivalent to roughly 230 households. The project, which was signed off in August 2024 and completed in May 2025, was more than a decade in the making.
Craig Baldie, Managing Director, Lion New Zealand, said: “By investing in solar, we will increase our reliance on new renewable energy, reduce our carbon emissions further and free up more than a megawatt of demand from the national grid.”
Other key highlights outlined in the report include:
- Expanded reconciliation leadership through inaugural Reconciliation Industry Network Group with industry partners.
- Reported a 63.4 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions from a 2019 baseline, maintaining strong progress towards Lion’s Science Based Targets.
- Commissioned major water recycling infrastructure, including a $7.2m reverse osmosis plant at Tooheys brewery that will save 270 million litres annually – equivalent to 108 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
- Won Best Environmental Sustainability Initiative and Best Diversity Initiative Award at the 2024 Australian Drinks Awards.
Lion Group CEO, Sam Fischer, said: “This update demonstrates the sustainability progress we can make when we collaborate with our industry and supply chain partners.
“None of this can happen without the support of our suppliers, customers, and the broader community, and we thank them for their continued partnership.”
The update also highlighted the expansion of Lion’s Healthy Hospo program through a three-year partnership with Hospitality New Zealand, and the launch of Lion’s Healthy Minds program, which equipped over 1200 Lion people with tools and techniques to manage and maximise their wellbeing.