- Corona, an AB InBev brand, has launched the Plastic Free Challenge within the 100+ Accelerator, a global programme founded in 2018 by the company to accelerate sustainable solutions from start-ups. The initiative is intended to identify, fund and pilot sustainable solutions innovations for plastic reduction across the supply chain.
- AB InBev announced to use solar power to brew its Michelob Ultra-Pure Gold beer, to accommodate its environmentally conscious consumers. The beer is now brewed with 100% renewable energy.
- Coca Cola Co, Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever joined AB InBev’s 100+ Accelerator programme, a global incubator programme that wants to help solve supply chain challenges across water stewardship, circular economy, sustainable agriculture and climate action. Also, AB InBev has announced the opening of its third cohort of the accelerator, with submissions possible until May 31st.
- ZX Ventures, the ventures and innovation arm of AB InBev, and its BioBrew division are working with Clara Foods to scale up their technology to make animal-free egg whites through precision fermentation.
- Heineken brewery in Finland will be supplied energy from the Neoen Mutkalampi wind farm, under a ten-year deal as part of a Dutch Consortium formed by Heineken, Nobian, Philips, and Signify. The wind turbines are supplied by manufacturer, Vestas.
- Heineken has launched a sustainable cider brand, called Inch’s. The drink is made from 100% British apples, sourced from within 40 miles of the supplier’s mill, with all waste resulting from apples processing being converted into green energy.
- Heineken and Pepsico have joined the Climate Pledge, an initiative co-founded by Amazon in 2019 that is calling on companies to reach the Paris Agreement 10-years earlier than the initial target. The Climate Pledge has now more than 100 signatories with over $1.4trillion in global annual revenues and more than 5 million employees.
- Molson Coors is removing plastic rings and introducing a fully recyclable and sustainable cardboard sleeve for beverage can multipacks for all major brands in the UK, including Carling and Molson Canadian. The concerned brands will join the Franciscan Well range in Ireland by providing consumers with plastic free packaging.
- Coors Seltzer is partnering with ‘Change the Course’, a non-profit organization that brings organizations and the public together to raise awareness in reducing water footprint. Each six-pack sold will save 1,000 liters of Canada’s water systems.
- Beginning in May, Carlsberg has inaugurated a new and revolutionary water plant that recycles 90% of the process water at the Carlsberg brewery in Fredericia (Denmark), making the brewery the most water efficient in the world. With this technology, the brewery will save more than 500M liters of water a year, leading to halved water consumption per hl beer (1.4hl vs 2.9hl). The company has a goal of zero water waste globally by 2030.
- Carlsberg is supporting research in growing microalgae in waste water from brewing, as brewery water contains all the nutrients algae needs to grow. The research is done by Yanyan Su (PhD), as part of the Young Scientists Community. Microalgae is a wonderous organism that can be used among other things to power cars.
- Muntons is on the path to reduce their GHG emissions, by reducing their carbon footprint for barley supply chain by 32% and processing GHG emissions by 24% over the past 12 years. The latest project in this area being a £16.5M biomass project built by AMP Clean Energy and Vital Energy.
- Diageo started to work with Encirc to source low carbon bottles for their whiskey brands. The same supplier offers similar options to Heineken and Molson Coors.
- Mother Earth Brewery is focused on saving the planet, in everything they do. The company employs initiatives from using locally grown hops, donating their used grains back to farmers for animal feed and creating farmer partnerships to grow carbon reducing crops next to barley. In addition, recycling water, solar energy panels, eco-friendly buildings, and employees walking/biking to work.
- SUNCAT Centre for Interface Science and Catalysis is engaged in research to find ways to transform captured CO2 into chemicals, fuels and other products including methanol, plastics, detergents, synthetic natural gas. This is achieved via a form of artificial photosynthesis – the technology under research is intended to convert CO2 from industrial emissions into carbon based products.
- The Dutch Government allocated €2B to a project to capture and store carbon dioxide in an empty gas chamber under the North Sea. The Porthos project involves four companies and it is the first large scale carbon capture scheme in the Netherlands.
