Mead – the Closest to Carbon Neutral of Alcohols

When we talk about climate impact and alcohol, most people think about packaging or shipping. But the biggest part of a drink’s carbon footprint actually comes from how its ingredients are grown. That’s where honey mead stands apart.

Key points at a glance

• Honey doesn’t require cropping, irrigation, fertiliser, or heavy machinery.

• Bees gather nectar from naturally growing plants and forests - in already existing eco-systems

• NZ honey often comes from regenerating bush, mānuka, kānuka, and beech - that store carbon.

• Mead requires no malting, milling, or cooking before fermentation.

• Energy use during mead-making is low, as fermentation is a natural process requiring no energy

• Local honey keeps transport emissions small.

• Mead’s footprint reflects thriving ecosystems, not intensive agriculture.

Mead is made from honey, water, and yeast. There’s no cropping, irrigation, fertiliser, or heavy machinery involved in creating its core ingredient. Bees gather nectar from the landscape as it naturally grows, meaning the honey that becomes mead begins with an incredibly light environmental touch.

In New Zealand, much of our honey comes from regenerating bush, wild mānuka and kānuka stands, and untouched native forest. These landscapes don’t just avoid emissions – they actively store carbon. When honey is produced in these ecosystems, the carbon footprint starts far lower than agricultural crops that need soil preparation, spray regimes, or supplementary water.

The fermenting process for mead is also relatively gentle. Compared with crops that require milling, cooking, or malting before fermentation, honey dissolves directly into a fermentation tank. For small-batch makers, this footprint can be even lighter when honey is sourced locally.

Packaging still matters. Glass is energy-intensive to produce, so the biggest environmental gains often come from reusing, recycling, or choosing lighter-weight bottles. Local delivery, shorter supply chains, and careful handling of waste also help keep mead’s footprint on the lower end.

None of this makes mead “better” than other drinks. Each style of alcohol has its own story and its own path to sustainability. But honey mead has a natural advantage: its main ingredient comes directly from flourishing ecosystems rather than farmed crops. When those ecosystems are healthy, diverse, and left undisturbed, the result is a drink that begins with a uniquely low carbon footprint.

If you enjoy understanding the story behind what’s in your glass, mead offers a refreshing angle. It’s a drink that starts in the forest, follows the seasons, and relies on nature’s rhythms rather than intensive agriculture. In a world where we’re all thinking more carefully about impact, that makes honey mead something special to raise a glass to.

Sustainability is at the core of why Undisturbed makes its mead - read about our Sustainability efforts here.