Johnnie Walker plans to plant one million trees in Scotland

Diageo’s Scotch whisky brand Johnnie Walker has announced that it will plant one million trees across Scotland before 2025, as part of its commitment to reduce the brand’s carbon footprint.

Trees will be planted across all four corners of Scotland to restore the natural resources used to create a range of Scotch Whiskies.

Johnnie Walker global brand director Julie Bramham said: “Scotland is our homeland. It is where our journey began 200 years ago and it’s at the heart of everything that makes our whiskies so special.

“As we throw open the doors to the next 200 years of our journey, we want to take positive strides forward to nourish and protect the wild Scottish landscapes and pristine natural resources that have shaped our whiskies for generations.”

To date, the company planted 389,000 of the one million trees near two of its distilleries in the Scottish Highlands.

At Ballygowan, near Oban distillery, Johnnie Walker funded the plantations of native birch, oak, wild cherry, willow and hazel trees in partnership with Inverlonan Estates owner and Environmental Entrepreneur Lupi Moll.

Johnnie Walker also joined forces with Trees for Life to plant ancient and native trees at Allt Ruadh, near Glen Ord distillery.

During the lifetime of the project, these trees could offset more than 69,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.

Diageo chief sustainability officer Ewan Andrew said: “We are committed to a decade of action to create grain-to-glass sustainability in our business and I am delighted that Johnnie Walker is leading the way for Scotch Whisky.

“The million trees we are planting with our partners across Scotland will create wonderful biodiverse woodlands that are havens for wildlife and accessible for people to visit and enjoy in the years and decades to come.”