From Better World:
TORONTO, March 7, 2013 /mbb/ - Labatt Breweries of Canada and its sister Anheuser-Busch InBev companies around the world announced Tuesday that they have successfully reached their environmental goals set in 2009. The goals are part of the company's commitment to reduce its impact on the environment and be "The Best Beer Company in a Better World." The targets were achieved through a multi-faceted approach that applied a mix of operational changes, technological solutions, partnerships and a sustainability-focused mindset underscored by the strong teamwork among 118,000 employees around the world. The goals involve 130 breweries and soft drinks facilities across more than 20 countries.
In Canada, close to 350 employee water conservation ideas generated by Labatt employees between 2009 and 2012 reduced consumption by 17%. Total CO2 emissions were down 26%, and recycling was at a world-class level of 98%.
"These significant improvements are a direct result of building a culture of sustainability at Labatt. Our employees have contributed to this achievement through work in operations, the supply chain and with community partners," said Charlie Angelakos , Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Labatt. "Integrating sustainability into every aspect of the business by keeping employees and stakeholders engaged through global rally days, including the UN's World Environment Day and World Water Day, as well as partnering with community groups and municipal governments have helped small steps add up to big results."
An additional 1,700 ideas were implemented to help Labatt facilities maintain total energy usage per hectoliter to the 2009 baseline level, despite an increase in energy consumption per hectoliter of beer produced for the one-year period from 2011 to 2012. This was largely because of the minimum energy load required for building operations, particularly at two large breweries. With production growth over the next few years, the "per hectoliter" measure is expected to decline again to appropriate levels. A number of Labatt breweries use "green power" electricity produced by hydro-electric dams, a renewable resource.
AB InBev achieved the following against a 2009 baseline:
- Reached its three-year goal of using a leading-edge 3.5 hectoliters of water per hectoliter of production within a three-year period. This represents an 18.6% reduction in water usage across AB InBev's global operations against a 2009 baseline. This is equivalent to the amount of water needed to produce approximately 25 billion cans of AB InBev products, which is about 20% of one year's production.1
- Decreased energy use per hectoliter in breweries and soft drink facilities worldwide by 12%. This result surpasses AB InBev's sustainability target of a 10% reduction.
- Reduced carbon emissions by 15.7%, surpassing its original three-year target of reducing emissions by 10%.
- Increased recycling rate to 99.2% for solid waste and byproducts, passing its original three-year target of achieving a 99% recycling rate.
"By working to make our operations both more efficient and more sustainable, we have returned value to our business and to the communities in which we live and work, while uncovering new ways to achieve our Better World dream," said Carlos Brito , CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev. "While each of our breweries and soft drink facilities faced unique circumstances, the combination of operational focus, technological solutions and most importantly, our more than 118,000 dedicated colleagues around the world, has made this shared achievement possible."
In addition to the positive environmental impacts, efforts to reach the goals helped to identify new revenue streams, generate savings and spur the involvement of more employees and partners in the company's sustainability initiatives. Recycling initiatives have generated approximately US $420 million globally from finding beneficial uses for recyclable materials generated from the company's processes. Efforts to use water and energy more efficiently also generated an estimated global cost savings of US $92 million.
Labatt and AB InBev will announce a new set of global environmental goals later this year, following a review of the initial three-year cycle and consultations with stakeholders.
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