We Stand With Ukraine

We stand with the people of Ukraine, and we condemn the violence and aggression of the Russian government, as we condemn all ongoing armed conflict around the globe.

We believe that the most important work is to end our dependence on fossil fuels, eliminating reliance on Russian oil and gas and building resilience for all our futures. We support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty in calling on the world to:

• Immediately end expansion of any new oil, gas and coal extraction.
• Phase out existing production of oil, gas and coal in a manner that is fair.
• Support dependent economies to diversify away from fossil fuels and ensure no person, community or country is left behind. 

Donations

We're not launching a product or offer with proceeds to charity, and we encourage our customers to instead make a direct donation if they are able to. There is an urgent need for funds and we would not be able to administer payments as fast as needed. Also, UK tax payers can claim gift aid with direct donations, meaning the charity receives an extra £2.50 with every £10 donation.

Our team have individually supported Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) charities, including the British Red Cross and Action Against Hunger UK, who are working with local partners to provide essential support to Ukrainian people. These payments were match funded by the UK government (up to the total value of £25 million) through its UK Aid Match scheme.

Our team also have 2 paid volunteering days each. If any charities need in-person support, please contact us at impact@toastbrewing.com.

What can we all do?

Action is the antidote to despair, so our team has come up with things we can each do. We'll try to keep this list updated in case helpful to others. 

• Support charitable activity, such as the DEC campaigns and other local actions (e.g. this field kitchen from our friends at Food4All). This can include donating items needed as well as financial donations.
• Can you help to accelerate the transition to green energy? The first step is to reduce energy consumption e.g. turning down the thermostat by 1oC and improve energy efficiency e.g. through home insulation. You can get energy saving advice here.
• Make sure your bank and pension provider is not funding Russia. Check out Putin100 and use your power as their customer to demand change, or move your money with help from the Make Your Money Matter campaign.

Be careful to look after your own mental health too, and that of your family, friends, colleagues, neighbours etc. Be careful of what news you consume and share (check facts using reputable sources such as Full Fact). If you are able to, try to limit the amount of time you spend looking at news. Without taking away from the seriousness from the situation, it may help to read positive stories too, so check out pages like The Happy Broadcast. 

Check out these resources from B Lab too.