Building a Welsh Brewery That Thrives for Generations

At S.A. Brain & Co, sustainability isn’t a slogan or a side project. It’s about doing things properly — brewing great beer, running a resilient business, and looking after the people and places that make it possible.

Our purpose is simple and long‑term:

Building a Welsh brewery that thrives for generations through sustainable brewing excellence.

That means making decisions today that stand up tomorrow. It means backing our brewing heritage with modern thinking. And it means earning trust through action, not words.

 

Sustainability, the Brains Way

The world around brewing is changing. Customers, retailers and partners rightly expect clarity on where their beer comes from, how it’s made, and the impact behind it.

For Brains, sustainability is our licence to brew, trade and grow — and a way of building a stronger business for the future.

Our approach is built around three equally important pillars — Environment, Social and Governance — supported by a formal Carbon Reduction Plan aligned to UK reporting and procurement standards.

 

Environmental Stewardship

Brewing Better, Using Less

Brewing has always been about respect for ingredients, resources and craft. Today, that also means understanding and reducing the environmental impact of how we operate.

We maintain a Carbon Reduction Plan prepared in line with UK government guidance, which records and reports:

• Scope 1 emissions from fuel use, company vehicles and refrigerants
• Scope 2 emissions from purchased electricity and energy
• A relevant subset of Scope 3 emissions, including supply chain and logistics impacts
  

Our focus is practical improvement — improving energy efficiency, reducing waste, making better use of water, and investing in smarter processes that strengthen the brewery as well as cutting emissions. Where emissions sit outside our direct control, we work alongside suppliers and partners to drive progress together.

Social Impact

Backing Our People and Our Communities

Brains has always been rooted in Wales, and that sense of place still matters.

Our people, suppliers and partners are central to who we are and how we succeed. That means:

• Supporting the wellbeing, safety and development of our teams
• Sourcing locally and regionally wherever it makes commercial and practical sense
• Building long term supplier relationships based on fairness and mutual trust
  

Shorter, more resilient supply chains don’t just support local communities — they also reduce risk, improve reliability and help lower our wider environmental impact.

Governance & Transparency

Doing the Right Thing, Properly

Strong governance underpins everything we do. Our environmental and social commitments are not informal promises — they’re overseen at senior level, with clear responsibility and accountability.

We ensure:

• Clear oversight of ESG priorities and our Carbon Reduction Plan
• Senior management approval and ownership
• Regular review as standards, regulations and expectations evolve

For our customers and partners, this provides confidence that our approach is measured, credible and embedded in how we run the brewery.

Why This Matters to Our Customers

Whether you’re enjoying a pint, stocking a bar, or choosing a supplier, this matters because:

• You’re buying from a brewery that takes responsibility seriously
• You can trust the provenance, quality and integrity behind the beer
• You’re partnering with a business that’s built to last — not just chase short‑term wins
• You’re supporting a Welsh brewery investing in its people, suppliers and future

It’s about confidence in who you’re buying from, and pride in what you’re pouring.

Our Carbon Reduction Plan

Our Carbon Reduction Plan is a live document that supports customer assurance, tender requirements and long‑term decision‑making. It sets out our current greenhouse gas footprint, our commitment to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050, and the practical steps we’re taking to reduce our impact over time.

We recognise that supply‑chain emissions represent one of the biggest opportunities for change — which is why collaboration, transparency and steady improvement are central to our approach. 

Purpose in Practice

This isn’t about chasing trends or ticking boxes.

It’s about building a modern Welsh brewery that people can believe in — brewing great beer, operating responsibly, and standing for something that lasts.

If you value quality, provenance and working with people who take responsibility seriously, we’re proud to brew with you.