Castle Rock’s Commitment to Sustainability
Since it was founded in 1977, Castle Rock has expanded from a single pub in Newark to an estate of 12 pubs and a brewery that produces 360 barrels of beer per week. Through its expansion, the business has maintained a commitment to sustainability.
Colin Wilde, the Managing Director of Castle Rock, says that ‘we do all we can to have a positive, favourable and sustainable impact within each of our localities, the wider environment and society in general.’
It is this commitment that encouraged Castle Rock to join the Investors in the Environment network, working towards the highest accreditation possible, Green. Wherever possible, the business works to minimise their carbon footprint. They monitor pub energy use on a weekly basis and implement efficiency measures on the results of this. For example all lighting is currently being replaced with energy-efficient LED bulbs, and a heat exchanger has been integrated into the brewing process in order to recycle excess heat.
They have established a waste system that ensures waste is kept to a minimum, and spent hops and grains are collected and reused for composting and feed for a local farmer. This farmer is able to save costs and invest in more livestock as a result of this. Used cooking oil from pub kitchens are collected by a local reprocessing company to create biofuel and offcuts of wood are reused to create decking, fencing and even blackboards!
Castle Rock is clearly committed to being environmentally sustainable, and this extends to their support for the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. They produce monthly speciality beers to highlight specific flora and fauna that is under threat, to date they have raised a staggering £500,000 for the trust to date!
How did we help?
As part of Castle Rock’s ambition to achieve the highest iiE level, the ‘Green Award’, they took part in the collaboration with Nottingham Trent University students in Autumn 2014. Two groups of students acted as sustainability consultants and produced reports on the business’ environmental management plan, offering further actions that Castle Rock could take in order to reduce their carbon footprint. Ella McManus, one of the students working with Castle Rock said, ‘it was a really enjoyable experience and has inspired me to investigate jobs in the energy/ sustainability sector…it was quite an eye opener discovering how a few simple changes could lead to a more environmentally-friendly company and save money too’.
Through working with these students, the business is currently acting on their suggestions, firstly by fitting ‘heat keepers’ to the backs of radiators in its 12 pubs. They are also looking into ways to further improve general waste collection from all premises and fitting water diffusers onto taps to reduce water usage, as well as installing waterless urinals into two of the pubs already (with more to follow). In the long term, they plan to fit solar panels and additional systems into the brewery itself.
We look forward to following Castle Rock’s progress as the business moves further towards their Investors in the Environment Green Accreditation!
Key Achievements
- Collaboration with Nottingham Trent University students acting as sustainability consultants to see what further actions Castle Rock could take to reduce their Carbon Footprint.
- Raised £500,000 for Nottingham Wildlife Trust to date.
- Spent hops and grain are reused by a local farmer, saving him money.
- Replacing all lighting with energy efficient LED bulbs.
- Used cooking oil is collected by a local reprocessing company to create biofuel and offcuts of wood are reused to create decking, fencing and even blackboards.