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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
5.17.2005 ET
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Anheuser-Busch Releases 2004 Environmental, Health and Safety Report
Company committed to workplace safety and conservation of energy and natural resources
(CSRwire) ST. LOUIS - Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. today released its 2004
Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) report, detailing its efforts to
protect the environment and promote workplace safety. The 2004 report
highlights a significant decline in workplace injuries as well as savings
in water and fuel use and a decrease in solid waste disposal through
recycling.
Among the details of the report, which is available online at www.ABenvironment.com:
Total injury rate down 45 percent since 2000
Lost-time-injury rate down 51 percent since 2000
Water use reduced by almost 7 percent since 2000
Fuel use decreased by 2.4 percent since 2000
Solid waste disposal declined by 17 percent since 2000
Anheuser-Busch's 2004 EHS Report focuses on the company's overall progress
in promoting excellence in environmental, health, and safety performance
for its brewing, packaging, entertainment, and brewing-related operations.
The dedication to excellence in EHS initiatives extends to the people of
Anheuser-Busch, who continually seek to improve the company's performance
by implementing comprehensive system improvements that conserve resources
and reduce waste and safety risks.
"Anheuser-Busch seeks to continually improve its environmental performance
by operating more efficiently and reducing waste and the environmental
impacts of its products," said John Stier, Anheuser-Busch's director of
environmental affairs. "As this report shows, we are on target to meet or
exceed our goals."
When it comes to energy, breweries have undertaken an initiative that is
changing the way they manage their utility operations - including energy,
residuals, carbon dioxide, wastewater and water, to achieve greater
efficiency. The company continuously searches for innovative approaches
to use resources in the most efficient manner, thereby minimizing
associated impacts. To this end, the company has funded capital projects,
incorporated process changes and increased awareness of energy
conservation across the company in an effort to increase energy
efficiency.
In addition, recovered biogas (methane), a renewable energy source, now
provides 10 percent or more of fuel needs at breweries where it is used.
Anheuser-Busch is the world's largest operator of Bio-Energy Recovery
Systems, a method of pretreating the brewing-related wastewater
anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen) and capturing biogas. This
pretreatment beneficially converts waste nutrients into useable energy and
reduces by more than 80 percent the organic treatment demands that would
otherwise be imposed on local sewer systems.
Workplace safety is a key element to any comprehensive EHS program.
"Providing a safe workplace is a fundamental business responsibility, and
one that Anheuser-Busch takes very seriously," said David Costello, the
company's director of corporate safety, health and risk management. "The
company has developed a strong corporate culture focused on injury and
illness prevention, and the recognition we've received shows we're moving
in the right direction."
One effort promoting employee safety and wellness is Ability for Life,
which debuted in 2003. This is a holistic program focusing on employees
and their families, stressing the importance of health-conscious decisions
in all actions, such as good nutrition, exercise and conditioning, regular
health exams and the use of seat belts and bicycle helmets. Throughout
2004, Anheuser-Busch established AFL steering committees at each brewery
and presented informational sessions to all brewery employees.
Significant recognition recently received by the company includes:
Recognition by Occupational Hazards magazine as one of America's
Safest Companies for 2004, acknowledging the Anheuser-Busch breweries for
safety and education efforts aimed at company employees both on and off
the job.
Designation as the EPA's WasteWise Partner of the Year in 2004 in the
large business category, recognizing the company's effectiveness in
reducing and recycling solid waste. The company has received WasteWise
recognitions in each of the last four years. Ranking first among its
peers in the beverage industry in FORTUNE magazine's 2005 "America's Most
Admired Companies" listing. This survey of 10,000 business leaders and
financial analysts also placed the company in the top 10 overall - among
nearly 600 companies - in several measures, including social
responsibility.
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading U.S. brewer. The
company also is one of the largest theme park operators in the United
States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and is the world's
largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers.
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