Whisky: Evolving industry looks to better environment

Trade body the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has a Sustainability Strategy that sets the goals and provides support for the industry across four key pillars – tackling climate change, water usage, the circular economy, and caring for the land.

Since the strategy was launched, the SWA has increased collaboration with key partners in the industry supply chain, which the body says is essential to helping reduce total emissions and improving wider sustainability goals.

Annually it collects data on “scope 1 and 2” emissions to help identify where progress has been made, and what areas may need more support from government bodies. The SWA explains that achieving net-zero in emissions is the industry’s ambition – including those in its own operations – known as scope 1 and 2 – and incorporating those produced across its supply chains – known as scope 3.

Ruth Piggin, director of industry sustainability at the SWA, says: “Across the industry, we see a number of challenges coming from different directions. The changing environment has impacted distillers and our supply chains, with increasing numbers of extreme weather events like floods and drought impacting infrastructure and production.

“We expect greater volatility from climate change in the future, and building resilience and playing our part to mitigate this is critical.”

She explains that each distillery is unique and has to determine the most appropriate solution for their location as they decarbonise, whether that is biogas, electrification, hydrogen, or another technology.

When investigating these solutions, Ruth says that another challenge faced by the industry is government policy, which can be uncertain, complex and occasionally, contradictory.

Looking ahead, she says the Sustainability Strategy will continue to be used as a framework for action. There are workplans under each pillar to test and improve ambitions as both the industry and evidence evolves.

Ruth adds: “We have delivered projects as varied as helping understand our energy transition pathway, assess infrastructure constraints, and look at how we use water at different stages of production to support dissemination of best practice.

“We will continue our work with members to further build understanding, and support adoption of best-placed solutions, and share learnings with others wherever possible.”

A sustainable workforce

Sustainability applies to many areas of the Scotch whisky industry, as well as environmental initiatives. For example, for the sector to remain successful it needs a skilled and diverse workforce.

Kirsty Summers, head of workforce and skills at the SWA, says that diversity and inclusion are constantly evolving areas. She explains: “The focus of the industry is on social sustainability, which aims to advance equity amongst employees, customers and consumers. Ongoing reviews of progress, which generate momentum, are critical as well as having clear and actionable behaviours and interventions across the industry.”

Promotion of diversity and inclusion is not the aim, it is action and change which are at the forefront of minds, according to Kirsty. She says there is a need to broaden the concept of diversity and let individuals find points of identification for themselves. She gives policies around employees in the menopause as a perfect example of this.

And, in the last year, the SWA hosted its first Spirited Careers conference, bringing together member companies to examine such areas that are key to opening up the industry, such as recruitment. This event will return next year.

Kirsty says: “The typical view of the industry has been a male-dominated workforce engaged in predominately physical jobs. Not to mention the view that whisky is only consumed by older men. But the industry is constantly evolving, and we have seen a significant increase in the promotion of the huge variety of roles, from sales to tourism, accountancy to hospitality, sustainability to engineering.”

But she adds that more needs to be done, particularly in leadership and senior executive roles – a challenge to be addressed across multiple sectors and not just the whisky industry.

One organisation advocating for more inclusivity and diversity is the OurWhisky Foundation. It is described as the world’s first non-profit dedicated to supporting, recognising and empowering professional women in whisky across the globe. Founded in 2022 by drinks journalist Becky Paskin, the UK-based organisation works with the global drinks industry to provide diversity and inclusion consultancy, as well as surveys, reports, events, and initiatives designed to create communities and inspire change.

The foundation’s primary on-going project is its mentorship programme, which has so far guided over 200 women and non-binary individuals toward reaching their goals, while developing personal and professional skills. Many have secured new jobs and promotions as a result of the programme.

Becky says: “Our services are available to any whisky organisation globally, but the majority of our funding comes from the Scotch whisky industry. We work with partners to deliver diversity and inclusion training, inclusive marketing consultancy, as well as running various activities supporting women in Scotch.”

Although whisky has a reputation for being a man’s drink, women have been involved in Scotch whisky since its early days, Becky explains. But she says their presence and impact have historically been overlooked, with marketing campaigns featuring almost exclusively men, aimed predominantly at male consumers.

This narrative has perpetuated the myth that whisky is made by men, for men, but Becky says: “Contrary to belief, there are plenty of women working in the whisky industry today, particularly in brand ambassador and blending roles, as well as office-based positions that are more traditionally behind-the-scenes. Women are starting to occupy more engineering and distilling roles, thanks to the work Scottish universities in particular are doing to showcase distilling as a STEM career.

“However, there are still few instances of women holding C-suite positions, with just a handful of Scotch whisky distilleries being founded by a woman. Ultimately, unconscious bias against women in whisky still persists in many spaces, affecting those across the industry from the bar to the boardroom.”

Becky is proud of OurWhisky Foundation’s mentorship programme, She says: “Not only have our mentees landed promotions, new jobs, qualifications and even started their own brands, they’ve forged a global community and trusted network of women that had been missing from the whisky industry.”

Siobhan Sellers was one of 23 mentees in the July-to-December 2024 intake of OurWhisky Foundation’s mentorship programme, She was paired with a mentor from the whisky industry, Jennie Norrish, founder of Yellow Shoes Identity Consultancy, a member of OurWhisky Foundation’s advisory board.

Siobhan says: “Jennie has been brilliant, encouraging and so supportive, I feel very fortunate. Our cohort of mentees meet every month. This is such a valuable and safe space. It feels like having 24 personal cheerleaders who want you to do well and help support you through both life and career struggles.”

She reveals that the programme came at a perfect time for her, as she had just been made redundant from her role with a whisky brand. “The mentorship programme has given me an incredible confidence boost and a new focused mindset. I have had the space to look inwardly about my core values as well as my whisky career vision for the future. It has reminded me why I love the world of whisky so much.”

Siobhan goes on to say that she has had first-hand experience of the challenges women face in the industry – such as being talked over or made to feel inferior, as well as the classic infuriating question “do you even like whisky?”.

Jennie Norrish has worked with spirits brands for most of her career and within the whisky industry for more than 15 years. In her former role as a board director of Chivas Brothers she got to know Becky Paskin when they were both advocating for more diverse representation of whisky drinkers and more support for women working in the industry.

Jennie says the benefits of mentorship for both mentor and mentee are well documented, especially for women.

“For me, it’s not about imparting grand pieces of wisdom or telling the mentee how to overcome challenges,” she explains. “The most fulfilling moments are when the mentee begins to see what they have to offer, and how what they can do has great value.

“Injecting that kind of confidence, as well as being someone who’s been there and done that and survived, is a powerful combination.

“I think OurWhisky Foundation has already created something really special for the industry. I’m currently working with my fourth whisky mentee, and each experience reinforces what I believe about the benefits of mentorship, and what programmes like this can achieve.”