The multinational drinks giant, Diageo, has been been fined £1.2 million for failing to report climate pollution, according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).
Sepa imposed the fine, alleging that three of the company’s whisky plants in Scotland had breached UK rules on declaring carbon emissions for over six years. The penalty “should serve as a warning” to other companies, Sepa said.
Campaigners described Diageo’s breaches as “outrageous” and “galling”. But they pointed out that the fine was “trivial” compared to the company’s £3.7 billion profit in 2021.
Diageo is the company which operated Strathleven Bonded Warehouses in Dumbarton until it pulled out at the end of last century with an estimated loss of 1700 jobs.
Diageo owns over 200 alcoholic drinks brands, including Johnnie Walker, Bells and Talisker whiskies, as well as Guinness, Smirnoff, Baileys and Gordon’s gin. It has more than 150 manufacturing sites in 30 countries, including 28 malt distilleries in Scotland.
Under the UK emissions trading scheme, companies are required to report their climate pollution every year. The scheme is designed to make polluters pay and cut overall emissions by enabling companies to buy and sell pollution permits.
Sepa initially fined Diageo £1.4m, but the company appealed to the Scottish Government. The fine was reduced to £1.2m, but a reporter appointed by Scottish ministers ruled on 8 March that it had to be paid.
According to Sepa, the three Diageo sites that had failed to report emissions were all whisky makers. There were named as the Roseisle distillery and Burghhead Maltings on Speyside near Elgin and the Glen Ord Distillery in Ross-shire.
Picture: Some of the Strathleven Bonded Warehouses staff who were made redundant when Diageo pulled out of Dumbarton.