Who is Craig Woodburn, Molson Coors' EMEA & APAC ESG Leader?
Molson Coors sells a range of well-known beers like Coors Light, Carling, Staropramen and Blue Moon Belgian White.
The company says it has a commitment to raising industry standards and leaving a positive imprint on its employees, consumers, communities and the environment.
The brand began in 1786 when John Molson founded Canada's oldest beer brewery.
Craig Woodburn has been appointed as the company's EMEA and APAC Sustainability Director.
About Craig Woodburn
Craig has been working in the sustainability sector for several years, gaining skills in areas like circular economy, supply chain sustainability, carbon management, ESG and environmental policy.
He studied at Nottingham Trent University, earning a Bachelor's Degree in biology and chemistry, as well as a Master's in Integrated Environmental Control.
Craig has worked within the Molson Coors Beverage Company since 2024, starting out as the Western Europe Sustainability Director and now taking on the role of EMEA/APAC Sustainability Director.
This move aligns with Molson Coors’ expansion plan that began in 2019, spreading the company's geographic footprint from Europe to APAC with the aim to make a global team.
Craig describes himself on LinkedIn as a “Sustainability and Compliance professional, with an innovative and enthusiastic approach gained from working across the environmental sector in industry, government and consultancy roles.”
He says he has “an appetite to never stop learning, enjoy taking on new challenges lead on circularity, carbon and energy with increasing intensity on supply chain assurance whilst retaining director level capability for budget management and target setting".
Molson Coors' sustainability goals
Molson Coors’ reports that the first recycling effort of the company was in 1885 where it gave customers 45 cents in exchange for 12 empty quart bottles.
Following on from this, the business has continued on its sustainability journey into 2025, setting out various goals within its currency sustainability strategy.
Beer manufacturing is heavily reliant on water, and Molson Coors has set the goal of reducing its water usage in large breweries by 22%, alongside restoring 3.5 billion gallons of water in water stressed brewery sheds.
The company also wants to reduce its carbon emissions by 50% in its direct operations by the end of 2025 and has already achieved a 44.3% reduction.
To reach this goal, the company invested in renewable energy solutions like wind farms to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.
In alignment with the company's sustainability strategy, it aims to make its packaging 100% reusable or recycled.
Gavin Hattersley, CEO at Molson Coors Beverage Company, said on LinkedIn: “It is an important time to remember that beverage makers like Molson Coors depend on the Earth to create the products our consumers love.
“Barley, hops, yeast and of course, water are the backbone of our business.
“At Molson Coors, we are committed to reducing our impact on the planet.”
How Molson Coors makes its supply chain sustainable
The company says it is committed to an ethical and sustainable supply chain, setting a standard for suppliers which sets out a minimum expectations for suppliers on environmental, social and economic sustainability.
Aligning with its sustainability goals, Molson Coors plans to source 100% of its barley and hops from suppliers that grow, produce and deliver products that coincide with the brand's sustainability standards.
The company says it has challenged itself to reduce water use in its agricultural supply chain and malting operations by 10% by 2025.
In the US, the company developed its Grower Direct Portal, a digital platform that provides data on farmers' agricultural practices.
It uses the data to monitor sustainable progress and seek out which farming practices achieve the best results.
Craig told Sustainability Magazine: “As we accelerate our progress towards our whole value chain target, we are continuing to increase engagement with our suppliers to understand the challenges they face and collaboratively develop solutions, with the support and experience of our procurement teams.
“Data collection, accuracy and availability is a key priority for us and our suppliers and customers.
“It is essential for targeted reductions, as well as driving continuous improvement at pace.
“Data provided by our suppliers will improve visibility of the trajectory needed to ensure we achieve net zero across our value chain by 2050.”
Craig will be speaking at Sustainability LIVE London 2025 on the Sustainable Procurement & Supply Chains panel.
