Future Greens turns brewery waste into on-site renewable energy

Food and drink manufacturers in the UK generate an estimated 2.4 million tonnes of organic waste annually across the manufacturing and hospitality sectors, according to WRAP. For mid-sized producers, disposing of that waste through trade effluent contracts, haulage, and third-party treatment represents a direct operational cost. Centralised anaerobic digestion exists to process such streams, but was designed for industrial-scale inputs and remains out of reach for most small and medium food producers.

Future Greens (UK, founded 2020) was co-founded by David Dixon, Gabrielė Barteškaitė, Alastair Roper, and Alexander La Fleur, who met at the University of Sheffield and previously built and operated a vertical farm. Waste disposal and energy costs there led them to develop a bioreactor in-house, before pivoting to commercialise the technology across the food and drink manufacturing sector.

The company builds modular anaerobic digesters for on-site deployment at breweries, distilleries, bakeries, and food manufacturers. Microorganisms break down organic waste in an oxygen-free environment, producing biogas that can replace natural gas or generate electricity and heat. An AI control layer adjusts reactor conditions in real time to maintain microbial productivity with minimal manual intervention.

In December 2025, Future Greens raised £500,000: £340,000 in equity from PXN Group, One Planet Capital, Baltic Ventures, Venture. Community, and Lifted Ventures, alongside a £160,000 UK government grant.

Future Greens operates outside EU frameworks post-Brexit. Yet both the revised EU Waste Framework Directive - which prioritises anaerobic digestion for organic streams that cannot be prevented - and the REPowerEU plan - which targets 35 billion cubic metres of biomethane annually by 2030 against 4.9 billion cubic metres produced in 2023, according to the European Biogas Association - directly shape the investment appetite and the continental market it intends to enter.

Sources: Future Greens | WRAP | European Biogas Association Founders: David Dixon, Gabrielė Barteškaitė, Alastair Roper, Alexander La Fleur