Charles Sturt University is helping improve emissions transparency across the beer supply chain through a partnership with Asahi Beverages focused on barley production in Victoria’s Wimmera region.
Delivered through Charles Sturt’s Cool Soil Initiative, the project is working with nine barley growers whose crops are used in major beer brands, including Carlton Draught and Victoria Bitter. Researchers collect soil and farm data, including fertiliser use, herbicide application and field operations, to generate tailored emissions reports for participating growers.
These reports help growers benchmark their performance, identify key sources of emissions and understand opportunities to improve nutrient use efficiency, soil health, productivity and long-term business performance. The work also gives growers practical evidence to support market access and respond to emerging emissions reporting requirements.
For Asahi, the project provides clearer insight into the emissions associated with the 75,000 tonnes of barley it sources each year nationally and supports preparation for Scope 3 reporting. The barley grown through the program is used to produce around 300 million litres of beer annually at Asahi’s Abbotsford Brewery, demonstrating the importance of upstream sustainability in major food and beverage supply chains.
The project builds on Asahi’s Victorian Barley Program, launched in 2020, which strengthened direct relationships between brewers and growers to improve supply chain visibility and quality control. The addition of emissions tracking through the Cool Soil Initiative takes this work further by providing scientific measurement, benchmarking and practical insights to support climate-smart agriculture.
Charles Sturt is now building on this work through a new national project, Fostering Adoption of Variable Rate Fertiliser Application for Improved Nutrient Use Efficiency, funded by the Society of Precision Agriculture Australia and the Grains Research and Development Corporation. The project will involve 13 advisers and 39 growers across Australia, with Charles Sturt acting as the central data host and providing expertise in carbon accounting.
Research problem
Agricultural supply chains are under increasing pressure to understand, measure and report emissions, particularly Scope 3 emissions associated with the production of key ingredients such as barley. However, growers need emissions reporting systems that are practical, credible and useful for decision-making, rather than simply adding administrative burden.
This research addresses that challenge by using farm-level data, scientific measurement and carbon accounting to provide growers with paddock-level emissions reports. These reports help identify where emissions are generated, how growers compare within their region and where precision nutrient management or other practices could deliver both economic and environmental benefits.
Charles Sturt University is helping barley growers and brewers build a more transparent, lower-emissions beer supply chain by turning farm-level data into practical insights into emissions. The project supports growers in benchmarking performance, improving nutrient-use decisions, and preparing for future market and reporting requirements, while helping Asahi Beverages better understand Scope 3 emissions across a key ingredient supply chain.
Charles Sturt University is working with Asahi Beverages, Riordan Group, a leading Australian family-owned grain marketing and distribution enterprise, and barley growers in Victoria’s Wimmera region.
The project benefits growers by providing tailored emissions insights, benchmarking and practical evidence to support improved decision-making, productivity, soil health and market access.
It supports advisers by building capability in carbon accounting, precision nutrient management and grower extension. It also supports Asahi Beverages and the broader food and beverage sector by improving the visibility of agricultural supply chain emissions and strengthening progress towards lower-emission production.
More broadly, the research demonstrates how universities, growers, advisers and industry partners can work together to make emissions reporting practical, evidence-based and valuable for regional businesses.
Charles Sturt University aligns our research, policies, procedures, and other work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are the most relevant SDGs for this initiative.
Charles Sturt University is helping improve emissions transparency across the beer supply chain through a partnership with Asahi Beverages focused on barley production in Victoria’s Wimmera region.
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