Words by Blyth Brentnall
Londoners wanting a cold pint this summer can now buy beer in a much more eco-friendly way. For World Refill Day, craft brewery Toast Ale, in Regent’s Place, is selling beer in refillable bottles - and you get a free pint with your first purchase.
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In standard beer production, about 40% of greenhouse gas emissions come from the packaging. Toast Ale cuts this out by using glass bottles refilled from steel kegs, shrinking its carbon footprint to just one ninth of that of beer in single-use glass bottles.
It’s a £5 deposit for the growler bottle and £12 to fill it with about three pints of beer. If you buy your refill on World Refill Day, you get a free pint.
“Enjoy it in the park with your friends, enjoy it at home, come back, return the bottle and get your deposit back or refill it again and enjoy another beer,” explained Toast Ale’s co-founder, Louisa Ziane.
“We’re thrilled to announce this long-awaited scheme for Toast, helping people enjoy a cheeky pint without packaging waste,” she added. “We are always looking at ways to support our community to drink more sustainably.”
The beer is brewed using surplus bread instead of barley. This means they use less land, water and energy while helping to tackle food waste. They have also donated over £100,000 to charity from their profits.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Every Can Counts. This is a not-for-profit recycling programme, encouraging people to recycle more often, to protect our planet. Support them here.
Trees For Cities. They are working to plant more trees within large metropolitan areas, for the betterment of people and planet. Support them here.
The Climate Coalition. This is the UK’s largest group of people dedicated to action against climate change. Find out more and support them here.
