Sustainability Hero Image

Grain to Glass
Sustainability

Our ambition is to build a resilient supply chain that helps our communities to adapt climate change, protects our licence to operate and benefits the bottom line of our business.

Overview

Pioneering grain-to-glass sustainability is an integral part of our business strategy. Our continued long-term success depends on the people and planet around us. We have a responsibility to ensure that our people, our suppliers, the communities around our operations, our customers and consumers, and society at large all thrive as a result of our business.

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What are we doing on our sustainability journey
from grain to glass?

At the core of our Society 2030: Spirit of Progress action plan lies sustainability — integrated across our whole value chain. Our business depends on natural resources, and we are directly impacted by the growing pressures of climate change, water stress, and the loss of biodiversity. That's why our action plan focuses on three critical areas:

Water for Life

Water is the most important ingredient in our products. Yet it is also a shared and increasingly scarce resource under mounting pressure from climate change and rising demand.

For us, water is not only part of our production process — it is central to our responsibility to communities and to nature. We shape our water stewardship strategy around four areas: our operations, our supply chain, the communities we are part of, and our advocacy work.

Our targets:

  • Improve water efficiency by 40% in water-stressed areas, and by 30% across our business.
  • Help communities in water-stressed regions gain access to safe, clean water.
  • Replenish all the water we use in our operations — and more — by 2026.
  • Invest to ensure 100% access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene for people living around our sites.
A Low-Carbon World
Sustainable Packaging Design
Manisa-Şahyar Drip Irrigation Project

Manisa-Şahyar Drip Irrigation
Transformation

In the Şahyar region of Alaşehir, grape growers had long struggled with drought and limited infrastructure. To address this challenge, we introduced a drip irrigation system across 60 hectares.

Replacing traditional flood irrigation with this far more efficient method allowed farmers to conserve water while improving productivity.

Impact:

  • Nearly 50% reduction in water consumption
  • 138,700 m³ of water replenished between FY22–FY24
Mersin Gülnar-Kuskan Water Transfer Project

Mersin Gülnar – Kuskan
Water Transfer Project

One of our most comprehensive water stewardship projects is in Kuskan, a village in Mersin's Gülnar district. For decades, 600 hectares of fertile farmland went uncultivated due to drought, poor infrastructure, and high irrigation costs — forcing many of the community's 5,000 residents, especially young people, to migrate in search of livelihoods.

To reverse this trend, we launched the Kuskan Water Transfer Project.

Water from the Karasu River is pumped 275 meters uphill using solar-powered pumps into a 50,000 m³ reservoir at 1,000 meters altitude. The system is supported by over 4,000 meters of pipeline, two intermediate pools, and rainwater harvesting infrastructure.

  • Water from the Karasu River is pumped 275 meters uphill using solar-powered pumps into a 50,000 m³ reservoir at 1,000 meters altitude.
  • The system is supported by over 4,000 meters of pipeline and two intermediate pools.
  • Rainwater harvesting infrastructure allows more efficient and sustainable use of water resources.

Impact:

  • Drip irrigation infrastructure to be installed across 16 hectares in FY25
  • 100,000 m³ of water to be replenished by FY26

The project does more than revive agricultural production; it also increases farmers' incomes, encourages young people to return to the region, and creates new employment opportunities. It is carried out in collaboration with many local stakeholders, including the Governorship, District Governor's Office, the Mersin and Gülnar Directorates of Agriculture, and the Kuskan Irrigation Cooperative. In this way, the initiative is not only a water transfer project but also a rural development and community resilience program.

Tap Aerator Project

Tap Aerator Project

Across Türkiye, high levels of water consumption were being recorded in public buildings, schools, and hotels. To address this challenge, Diageo Türkiye launched a major water efficiency project, installing more than 8,000 tap aerators in Acıpayam, Taşel, Mersin, Nevşehir, and Şarköy.

By mixing air into the water flow, aerators reduce consumption by up to 85%. This simple solution provides fast and lasting savings without the need for major infrastructure investment.

Between FY22 and FY25, the project saved a total of 163,000 m³ of water.

Anise Seed Breeding Project

Anise, one of rakı's essential ingredients, is at the center of a long-term agricultural innovation project we initiated with Ege University's Faculty of Agriculture. After five years of work, three new seed varieties — Yeni 37, Ege 53, and Altın 8 — were developed and officially registered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in 2020. These became the first ever commercially recognized and certified anise seed varieties in Türkiye.

Impact:

  • 200 hectares cultivated with registered seeds to date
  • 10–12 tons of seeds produced annually and distributed to farmers
  • Around 200 tons of anise seeds used in rakı production each year

This work created the first commercially recognized and certified anise seed varieties in Türkiye.

A project that both safeguards quality in rakı production and supports a network of 25,000–30,000 producers.

New Generation Farming Project

New Generation Farming

Türkiye's vineyards are the heart of rakı, but they face growing challenges from climate change, outdated practices, and social inequalities.

Through our "New Generation Farming" approach, we aim not only to increase yields but also to improve farmer wellbeing and advance social equity. We have introduced equal pay for women and men in vineyards, provided fuel and fertilizer support in Elazığ and Diyarbakır since 2018, and offered technical guidance, financial assistance, and training from pruning to harvest. With new meteorological stations in Şarköy and Elazığ, we monitor climate data to help secure the future of viticulture. In this way, we protect both the fertility of the land and the dignity of labor, building a sustainable farming model for generations to come.

Bilecik Distillery Carbon Neutral in 2023

In 2023, we achieved a first in our sector by making our Bilecik distillery carbon neutral. As part of our Society 2030 targets, the site completed its carbon neutrality certification and transitioned fully to renewable energy.

This milestone marks one of the most important steps in our journey to net zero across all operations — a clear demonstration of our commitment to lead with action and to create a more sustainable future for both our industry and our communities.