Shape culture

Making a last call for climate change

New Belgium Brewing

“You can taste climate change in this awful beer.”

— Scientific American

Services we provided:

  • Strategic Communications

  • Earned Media

  • Creative Strategy

As the brewer of Fat Tire, America’s first certified carbon neutral beer, New Belgium Brewing has taken significant steps to lead the industry towards a sustainable future. They’re a certified B Corporation; the first brewer to join 1% for the Planet, a coalition of businesses that pledge to give 1% of their sales back to the environment; and are pursuing net-zero emissions across their entire company by 2030. 

As temperatures rose to historic levels in 2021, BPI helped New Belgium sound the climate alarm with the launch of Fat Tire Torched Earth Ale: the beer of the future we hope doesn’t exist. We worked with New Belgium to push the social conversation through the creation of a digital tool on Fat Tire’s climate action website, DrinkSustainably.com, that enabled beer drinkers to give big business a “last call” for strong climate commitments, and supported with an aggressive strategic communications campaign designed to generate attention for their urgent call to action through earned media. 

“While Fat Tire is aiming for shock value with the release of Torched Earth, it’s a very real, very rude awakening for beer drinkers.”

— The Washington Post

Outcomes

  • The “Last Call for Climate” campaign received widespread media coverage across local and national outlets, including industry, business, and sustainability publications.

  • In total, BPI helped generate over 28 M impressions with over 287 placements in print, digital, and broadcast outlets.

Additional coverage