Over Two-Thirds of the Way to Meeting Water Reduction Goal of 3.5 hl / hl by the End of 2012; Lowered Energy Use by 5.2%, Cut GHG Emissions by 5% and Reached a 98.2% Recycling Rate
Published 03-22-12
Submitted by AB InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev (Euronext: ABI) (NYSE: BUD) today announced its progress toward achieving a set of aggressive three-year global environmental goals set in 2009 as part of its Better World commitment. Core among these goals is a leading-edge water-usage target of 3.5 hectoliters of water for each hectoliter of production by the end of 2012. In 2011, the company’s average water use was 3.71 hectoliters per hectoliter of production, which represents an 8.2% reduction versus 2010, and a 13.7% reduction against its 2009 baseline or of the equivalent of some 9,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools[1]. The company is on track to reach the savings it committed to achieving by the end of 2012.
As part of its environmental efforts, AB InBev aims to meet its ambitious global goals to reduce energy use, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and increase its recycling rate.
“We are in the final stretch to meet our global environmental goals, which is an important milestone for AB InBev. Setting these ambitious, measurable targets brought our Better World strategy to life and has united our colleagues around the world in pursuit of a common purpose,” said Carlos Brito, CEO of AB InBev. “The collective efforts of our 116,000 colleagues has sparked innovation and created the focus required to achieve our ambitious global environmental goals by the end of 2012. We are closing in on achieving our three-year targets as we continue to drive sustainability and strive to be the Best Beer Company in a Better World.”
AB InBev steadily reduced its global water usage rate over the past year by employing a mix of engineering improvements, operational innovations and strong awareness and behavior-driven actions to optimize efficiency in every brewery and soft drink facility. The company’s unique system-wide process — Voyager Plant Optimization (VPO) — drives efficiency at our facilities through uniform processes and measurable standards for operations, quality, safety and the environment. AB InBev called upon the passion of its employees and engaged them to participate in the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Environment Day (WED) across operations. AB InBev’s global celebration of WED in 2011 involved more than 60,000 employees and resulted in more than 700 facility and community environmental projects in 21 countries, implementing numerous best practices across its global operations to help conserve natural resources.
Several breweries in key geographies are driving company-wide progress:
AB InBev’s focus on the environment is one of three core pillars of the company’s Better World plan. The company’s global goals also include efforts to promote responsible drinking and support the communities in which it operates.
About Anheuser-Busch InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with an American Depositary Receipt secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). It is the leading global brewer and one of the world's top five consumer products companies. Beer, the original social network, has been bringing people together for thousands of years and our portfolio of well over 200 beer brands continues to forge strong connections with consumers. We invest the majority of our brand-building resources on our Focus Brands - those with the greatest growth potential such as global brands Budweiser®, Stella Artois® and Beck’s®, alongside Leffe®, Hoegaarden®, Bud Light®, Skol®, Brahma®, Antarctica®, Quilmes®, Michelob Ultra®, Harbin®, Sedrin®, Klinskoye®, Sibirskaya Korona®, Chernigivske®, Hasseröder® and Jupiler®. In addition, the company owns a 50 percent equity interest in the operating subsidiary of Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer and owner of the global Corona® brand. AB InBev’s dedication to heritage and quality originates from the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium dating back to 1366 and the pioneering spirit of the Anheuser & Co brewery, with origins in St. Louis, USA since 1852. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, AB InBev leverages the collective strengths of its approximately 116,000 employees based in operations in 23 countries worldwide. In 2011, AB InBev realized 39.0 billion US dollar revenue. The company strives to be the Best Beer Company in a Better World. For more information, please visit: www.ab-inbev.com.
About Better World
Through our commitment to be the Best Beer Company in a Better World, Anheuser-Busch InBev is the beer industry leader in social responsibility initiatives, ranking as the No. 1 brewer in social responsibility in FORTUNE Magazine’s “World’s Most Admired” beverage companies’ list. Our Better World efforts focus on three pillars: promoting responsible drinking; protecting the environment; and giving back to the communities in which we live and work. Around the world, we develop and implement social responsibility programs and campaigns in partnership with parents, government officials, community organizations, retailers and others. From promoting responsible drinking messages on some of the world’s most watched television programming, to turning coconut husks into renewable energy to fuel our breweries, to volunteering in the community, Anheuser-Busch InBev and its employees are committed to making a difference.
[1] The number of Olympic-size swimming pools derived as follows: The difference between the 2009 and 2011 water use ratio times the most recent production volume for 2011 divided by the volume of an Olympic-size swimming pool (4.3-3.71 hl/hl x 399 million hl ÷ 25,000).
Anheuser-Busch InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with an American Depository Receipt secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). It is the leading global brewer and one of the world's top five consumer products companies.
Beer, the original social network, has been bringing people together for thousands of years and our portfolio of well over 200 beer brands continues to forge strong connections with consumers. We invest the majority of our brand-building resources on our Focus Brands - those with the greatest growth potential such as global brands Budweiser®, Stella Artois® and Beck’s®, alongside Leffe®, Hoegaarden®, Bud Light®, Skol®, Brahma®, Antarctica®, Quilmes®, Michelob Ultra®, Harbin®, Sedrin®, Klinskoye®, Sibirskaya Korona®, Chernigivske®, Hasseröder® and Jupiler®. In addition, the company owns a 50 percent equity interest in the operating subsidiary of Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer and owner of the global Corona® brand. AB InBev’s dedication to heritage and quality originates from the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium dating back to 1366 and the pioneering spirit of the Anheuser & Co brewery, with origins in St. Louis, USA since 1852. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, AB InBev leverages the collective strengths of its approximately 116,000 employees based in 23 countries worldwide. In 2011, AB InBev realized 39.0 billion USD revenue. The company strives to be the Best Beer Company in a Better World. For more information, please visit: www.ab-inbev.com.
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