Johnnie Walker creates plug-in for environment

Diageo’s Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky has increased its technology offering with the launch of a new plug-in that helps users calculate their online carbon footprint.

Johnnie Walker’s Earth Mode plug-in calculates the digital carbon footprints of internet users

The brand partnered with the Earth Day Network to launch the Earth Mode plug-in for Google’s Chrome browser ahead of Earth Day on 22 April.

Following research by Carbon Analytics showing the average online user consumes 130k of carbon a year – the equivalent to driving 740km in a car – the plug-in measures online usage over four weeks and calculates annual energy consumption.

To help offset this usage, Johnnie Walker will plant up to 75,000 trees as part of Earth Day Network’s Canopy Project, which has planted more than three million trees since 2011 in areas in need of reforestation.

“We believe that everyone wants their tomorrow to be better than today and Earth Mode gives people the opportunity to make a positive impact on the environment,” said Guy Escolme, Johnnie Walker global brand director.

“It is just one environmentally-friendly act but we hope it will educate and inspire users around the world to take other small actions to help Earth Day achieve its goal of reaching three billion ‘Acts of Green’.”

The Johnnie Walker Earth Mode plug-in is available from the Chrome Store for PC and Mac users.

Once installed, users click on the Johnnie Walker ‘striding man’ icon to reveal a drop-down window that displays real-time online energy usage, and shows how many trees will be planted to offset their annual carbon footprint.

Diageo has reduced its carbon emissions by 33% over eight years and aims to cut emissions by a further 50% by 2020. Last year, the group said it had made “strong progress” on its 2015 Sustainability and Responsibility targets, but failed to meet all but one of its objectives.

In December last year, Diageo launched a ‘smart bottle’ for Johnnie Walker Blue Label in Thailand, using sensor tags to detect whether bottles are sealed or open with the tap of a smartphone.