Hive Pubs awarded Sustainability Champion status by BII
In order to achieve Sustainability Champion status, pubs and brands need to be able to demonstrate active commitments to projects within energy reduction, waste reduction and sustainable procurement.
Each new Hive Pub, which is part of Greene King’s leased and tenanted Pub Partners arm, when opened has LED Lighting, timers and fridge manager installed as standard to reduce energy usage and carbon emissions.
Likewise, all sites within the model benefit from being part of Greene King’s wider electricity contract, which balances electricity usage with equivalent amounts generated renewably.
Fantastic measures
To help operators identify areas where they can take further action to make their Hive pub business more sustainable, Greene King Pub Partners also gives each site access to a Zero Carbon Forum’s carbon calculator, enabling them to measure and evaluate their emissions.
The BII commented the Hive concept provides franchisees with a “strong foundation” for operating their pub in a sustainable way, which they can then build on with additional support from Greene King Pub Partners.
BII chief executive Steve Alton said: “When we launched our Sustainability Champion Awards in 2023, we wanted to showcase the brilliant ways in which pubs are adapting their businesses to ensure they are sustainable for the future.
“Customers and teams in pubs across the UK are placing more and more importance on businesses that care about local communities and the environmental impacts they have, so I am delighted we can recognise all Hive Pubs as Sustainability Champions for the fantastic measures they have put in place.”
The model, which offers licensees a ready-to-trade pub for just a £5,000 ingoing cost, was launched in 2021 and has since seen its estate grow to 51 pubs.
Important role
Franchisees can then expect a minimum guaranteed income of £20,000 and a percentage of food and drink sales. On top of this, they also get a share of the profits in their pub and can earn a bonus as well.
Greene King Pub Partners managing director Dan Robinson added: “We’re very pleased to see Hive Pubs receive Sustainability Champion status from the BII.
“This achievement would not be possible without our exceptional franchisees who play such an important role in the communities they serve.
“Our franchise offer is proving very popular with those who want to step up from management to run their own pub business.
“By helping our franchisees run pubs more sustainably at the heart of their communities, we’re enabling them to run a better pub business.”
