For over five years, spiritsEUROPE and CEEV have engaged with Systembolaget on its sustainability goals, particularly its drive to cut CO₂ emissions. The decision to achieve net-zero emissions was taken in August 2022, and by 2030, Systembolaget plans to halve its value chain emissions compared to 2019 levels. This means that emissions will need to be drastically reduced in the production of agricultural raw materials, in beverages’ production, packaging and transport.
Since 2022, Systembolaget has collected climate data through pilot programmes with beer, wine and spirits producers and recently updated its "Annex 16 Sustainability" purchasing terms. These will guide supplier collaborations starting in March 2025. spiritsEUROPE, in partnership with SVL (the Swedish national spirits association), is actively analysing these changes and their implications.
Despite progress, several uncertainties remain. Questions arise around data management, such as how carbon data, especially for instance for aged spirits, will be collected and how any data will be stored and protected. Another concern is support for SMEs, specifically what resources will be available to help smaller producers comply with the new requirements. Harmonisation with other EU regulations, like CSRD (The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), also remains a challenge, with uncertainty about how Systembolaget's efforts will align to avoid duplication. Additionally, the strategy for sharing climate data with consumers is still unclear.
To address these concerns, Systembolaget will meet with spiritsEUROPE and CEEV to present its plans and help clarify the new purchasing requirements and their implications for suppliers, growers, and the broader supply chain.
Looking ahead, the sector anticipates that other alcohol monopolies may follow Systembolaget’s lead. spiritsEUROPE will continue to advocate for transparent dialogue and practical solutions to support all its members in meeting these ambitious sustainability goals. The active engagement with Systembolaget is ongoing and hopefully, all open questions will be answered by the time the new provisions apply – with sufficient time for all suppliers to Systembolaget to comply with the new requirements.
