Independent craft brewer BrewDog has announced plans to give away 20 per cent of its profits every year.

Of its annual profits, 10 per cent will be shared equally among its staff, and a further 10 per cent will be issued to charities, half to those chosen by the brewer’s 1,000-strong workforce and half to those chosen by its 57,000 Equity Punk investors.

If the brewer achieves its projected targets, it will give away in excess of £45 million via the “Unicorn Fund” over the next five years.

The brewer will reinvest the balance of its profits into the business for at least the next seven years.

BrewDog also plans to inspire other businesses to follow suit, challenging the impact a CSR policy can really have.

BrewDog has been the fastest growing food and drinks company in the UK for the last five years, and its rapid growth has been underpinned by strong profits, most recently, £7.1 million in 2016.

BrewDog co-founder James Watt said: “At BrewDog, we care about two things above all else; our beer and our people. We want to make the best beers on the planet, we want to be the best company to work for, and we want to build a radically new type of business that we can all be proud of. Giving away 20% of our profits – forever – is not about altruism. It is about impact. It’s not about profits. It is about purpose. This is the biggest community-fuelled, crowdfunded charity contribution in history.

“Outdated CSR policies have zero consideration for their real-world impact, existing merely for the purpose of an oversized cheque and an awkward photo shoot. This is a call to arms for businesses to democratise the impact their charitable contributions can have on their community, their people, and the world.”

He added: “In our tenth year at BrewDog, we hope to inspire a new kind of business with the Unicorn Fund; one that doesn’t measure profit in purely monetary terms. Our mission for the next decade at BrewDog is not simply to redefine the beer industry, but to redefine industry itself.”