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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
6.05.2006 ET
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Anheuser-Busch Releases 2005 Environmental, Heath and Safety Report
Company committed to workplace safety and natural resource conservation
(CSRwire) St. Louis-- Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. today released its 2005
Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) report, detailing its efforts to
protect the environment and promote workplace safety. The 2005 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 34 percent since 2001
Water use reduced by 3.3 percent since 2001
Solid waste disposal declined by 24 percent since 2001
Anheuser-Busch Recycling Corporation recycled approximately 369,000
metric tons of used aluminum beverage containers in 2005, more than 125
percent of the cans that Anheuser-Busch breweries use to package their
products in the United States.
Anheuser-Busch's 2005 EHS Report focuses on the company's overall progress
in promoting excellence in environmental, health, and safety performance
for its brewing, packaging, agricultural, entertainment, and
brewing-related operations. Excellence in EHS initiatives is the direct
result of the dedication and leadership of Anheuser-Busch employees
worldwide, who continually work to improve the company's performance
through comprehensive safety, resource conservation and waste reduction
programs.
"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 group director
of environmental affairs. "As this report shows, we've met nearly all of
the 2005 goals that were established five years ago. We're in the process
of forming new goals for 2010."
One of the highlights of 2005 was Anheuser-Busch's new Technology Center
which was certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System®. "The Technology Center was
designed and built and is operated in an ecological and resource-efficient
manner," said Doug Muhleman, group vice president of Brewing Operations and
Technology, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "In addition to being environmentally
friendly, this building provides employees with a state-of-the-art work
environment that is comfortable and productive, and saves money by
lowering operating costs over the lifetime of the structure."
Anheuser-Busch is the world's largest operator of Bio-Energy Recovery
Systems (BERS), a method of pretreating brewing-related wastewater
anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen) and capturing biogas. This
pretreatment beneficially converts waste nutrients into useable energy and
reduces more than 80 percent of the organic treatment demands that would
otherwise be imposed on local sewer treatment systems. Renewable biogas
(methane) now provides 10 percent or more of fuel needs at breweries where
BERS are used.
Anheuser-Busch's safety programs are a key element in the company's
commitment to excellence. "Providing a safe workplace is a fundamental
business responsibility, and one that Anheuser-Busch takes very
seriously," said David Costello, director, corporate safety, health and
risk management. "The company has developed a strong corporate culture
focused on injury and illness prevention."
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
2005, Anheuser-Busch facilities continued to sponsor wellness events and
fairs, and informational sessions to promote healthy lifestyles and
prevention. In addition, wellness coordinators at several facilities have
received reports from employees of how primary physician visits have led to
early diagnosis and treatment of potentially serious illnesses.
The company's EHS efforts have not gone unrecognized by government
agencies, environmental groups and industry peers. In 2005,
Anheuser-Busch was inducted into the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's WasteWise Hall of Fame. WasteWise is a voluntary program through
which companies commit to reducing industrial and municipal wastes. As a
charter member since the program's inception in 1993, the company has
reported significant waste reduction results, won multiple WasteWise
awards and promoted the program to other organizations. In February 2006,
Anheuser-Busch ranked first among its peers in the beverage industry in
FORTUNE magazine's 2006 "America's Most Admired Companies" and first in
all eight categories measured, including social responsibility. In
addition, Anheuser-Busch has received numerous safety and health awards
recognizing it as an industry leader in providing a safe work environment
for employees.
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer, holding
50 percent of the U.S. beer market. The company is one of the largest
theme park operators in the United States, a major manufacturer of
aluminum cans and America's top recycler of aluminum cans. In addition,
Anheuser-Busch supports a variety of community-level and national
environmental organizations, such as Keep America Beautiful, National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation and The Conservation Fund. The company's SeaWorld
and Busch Gardens Adventure Parks are leaders in animal rescue and
rehabilitation, and have supported conservation projects worldwide for
more than 30 years. For more information, visit www.ABenvironment.com.
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