Fig. 1. In the last two years, the Radegast brewery has built 60 pools in 19 locations across the Czech Republic

Radegast brewery, part of Plzeňský Prazdroj, has started a campaign for water. By 2030, it will retain more water in the Czech landscape than it consumes.

Radegast is one of the breweries with the lowest water consumption in the world. With 2.3 hectolitres of water per hectolitre of beer, it ranks among the absolute world leaders. Water consumption includes water for the complete production of beer, sanitation of equipment, cleaning in the brewery, water in the toilets, etc. The Nošovice brewery has achieved this success through technological innovations that have reduced the brewery’s water consumption by 44 % over the last 15 years. With such low consumption, however, finding further savings is not easy.

For this reason, Radegast focuses on projects that promote water retention in the landscape. As part of these, since 2015, Radegast has invested more than CZK 8 million in the construction and restoration of water features such as pools and wetlands, including the brewery’s ponds in close proximity to the brewery, which help to drain rainwater from its premises. All projects are carried out by the brewery in collaboration with experts in the field.

New pools around the country

Cooperation with Forests of the Czech Republic and support for the development of new pools are the key steps Radegast is taking to achieve its goal. In 2023, the brewery and Forests of the Czech Republic built 29 retention pools and added 30 more across the country in 2024. The common goal is to improve the water regime in the landscape and promote biodiversity. The pools will not only retain water in the landscape but also create a habitat for aquatic plants and animals.

Radegast Brewery’s cooperation with Forests of the Czech Republic was established in 2023. Radegast has long been committed to minimising water consumption at the brewery, while supporting a number of projects contributing to water retention in the landscape. Forests of the Czech Republic, which has its own “Giving Water Back to the Forest” programme, welcomes any project supporting the adaptation of forests to climate change. Thus, they view cooperation with Radegast positively as it has developed naturally and is based on the same values.

Fig. 2. Pools help retain rainwater and also contribute to flood protection

Wetland management in the Beskydy mountains

Long-term cooperation with the ČSOP Salamandr organization, focused on the protection and restoration of the Beskydy wetlands, is another example of Radegast supporting biodiversity and water retention in the landscape. Wetlands mitigate the effects of drought and torrential rains and are a refuge for a diverse range of plant and animal species.

Campaign for water 2030

Radegast brewery needs around 570 million litres of water annually for beer production and its overall operations, and it is therefore supporting the development of new pools and river meanders to meet this commitment by 2030. It is also focusing on another key pillar of its commitment – supporting regenerative agriculture, which helps to improve the soil’s ability to retain water and strengthen the overall resilience of the landscape to drought. The savings from individual water retention measures will be calculated by the T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute as the project’s guarantor, which will assess the impact of these projects according to its methodology and gradually quantify the volume of water retained in the landscape.

Fig. 3. By retaining water, pools contribute to supporting biodiversity
Fig. 4. Within about a year of construction, a natural habitat for plants and animals will be created around the pool

Radegast brewery will thus be the first brewery in the Czech Republic and one of the first in the world to return water to the landscape – where it belongs.

An informative article that is not subject to peer review.