A partnership between famous Australian brand Victoria Bitter and marketing firm Clemenger BBDO Melbourne will see thirsty Aussies able to redeem their excess solar power for cartons of beer.
Best of all, consumers will be getting the VB at a significantly reduced price. The new Solar Exchange program will allow people to swap $30 in credits on their power bill for VB cartons delivered to their premises.
VB had already adopted a sustainability focus under its previous owner Carlton & United Breweries (CUB). When Asahi purchased the company in 2021, that sustainability focus ratcheted up with the goal for all global operations to be run on renewables by 2025.
CUB had previously signed a 12-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for 74,000 MWh per year from the Karadoc Solar Farm outside Mildura.
How the Solar Exchange system works
Consumers will need to be with Diamond Energy or switch to this provider to redeem credits for VB. For every $1.25 worth of exported electricity on average, you will be eligible for one beer can.
Once you reach 24 cans, you will be able to redeem these credits for a carton. A total of 30 cartons will be delivered through this promotion, which expires in March 2022.
The offer is only available for residents in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland, and there will only be 500 spots available. All participants must have a retailer only feed-in tariff and a smart metre.
Any credits you build up that are not swapped for VB will be loaded onto a debit card for you to spend as you please.
Victoria Bitter latest brand to adopt a sustainable focus
The move from VB comes as brands are being urged to show your customers that you’re eco-friendly. This comes after research showed that 90 per cent of consumers prefer to buy their products and services from brands showing their commitment towards sustainability.
The creators of VB have already reduced their water usage, aims to be operating on 100 per cent renewable by 2025 and has introduced sustainable agricultural practices for the production of hops, barley and other materials.
“Last year, we put the Australian sun to work and started brewing VB with 100% offset solar energy,” Victoria Bitter general manager marketing Brian Phan said.
“Now we’ve launched this program to thank those who have made the effort to go solar with some hard-earned VB.
“The only thing better than drinking the Big Cold Beer in the Aussie sun is earning beer while you do it. It’s a real win-win for beer lovers and the environment.”
It also follows the news that some customers may be charged to export power back to the grid in the future to pay for infrastructure costs, and to prevent traffic jams where everyone is shipping power during peak periods. Now you can export energy for a carton of beer instead.
