- AB InBev has inaugurated the Environmental, Social & Governance report, alongside with the 2020 Annual report, to fully capture all initiatives touched upon by the company in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility.
- Heineken announced a new ambition to decarbonize their brewing production by 2030 and their full value-chain by 2040. This is the first in a series of refreshed, ‘Brew a Better World’ ambitions, which form and important part of the company’s new EverGreen balanced growth strategy. The company is taking a science-based approach by working closely with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to validate its new commitment. Beyond an aim to become carbon neutral for all production sites, the company intends to work with suppliers to reduce emissions by 30% across the entire value chain as measure from a 2018 baseline.
- Heineken Malaysia is sharpening its water efforts with the company adopting further their ‘Every Drop’ water ambition strategy. One of the initiatives is to ensure 100% of wastewater is treated before returning the clean water back to the source. Another initiative is investing RM19.5M to protect water sources via the SPARK Foundation, which falls under the Brewer’s corporate social responsibility area.
- Heineken Spain announced their factory in Jaen is the first in the country to run on 100% renewable energy, due in part to biomass generated from material in local olive groves. The factory will receive up to 6,000 tons of pruning waste annually from olive groves within a 90km radius of the brewery and contributing approximately 70% of the energy needs.
- Heineken UK is transforming unconsumed beer, as a result of Covid-19 forced pub closures, into green energy as part of its ‘Brewing A Better World’ sustainability strategy. The company is emptying thousands of kegs into a biogas generating system which supplements the site’s energy needs. Since May 2020, the company has processed 6,989,640 pints and created enough energy to heat nearly 28,000 average UK homes for a day.
- Molson Coors has become the first UK brewer to operate entirely by renewable energy. The company signed a power purchase agreement with renewable energy company RWE, for a period of 10 years. RWE will provide approximately 75 gigawatt of a renewable energy a year. Editor Note: MolsonCoors and their partner will present this story during the RMI Swiss Summit on May 18 & 19.
- Carlsberg and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are collaborating to restore seagrass alongside the UK coastline. Known as the ‘underwater Amazon’, seagrass meadows can absorb carbon up to 35 times faster than a rainforest. It is believed the UK has over time lost 90% of the traditional seagrass meadows and a recovery plan is much needed. By restoring the seagrass, not only will carbon absorption return, but also vital habitats provide spawning, nursery and feeding ground for sea life will reappear.
- Carlsberg’s new HQ in Copenhagen features a number of construction durables, natural materials and eco-friendly features. These features include such things as recycled copper and bamboo, solar panels, green roofs, water savings fixtures and heat recovery ventilation systems all intended to exemplify the possibilities in building a sustainable office building.
- Carlsberg Group joins the PEFerence consortium, as a partner in the development of the bio-based PEF packaging material which is aimed to reduce the waste and carbon footprint for the Brewer. The company also deepens the collaboration with Avantium, a plant-based polymer company. Carlsberg and Avantium are already working on a fully bio-based and recyclable Green Fibre Bottle, produced by Paboco – the Paper Bottle Company.
- Belgomalt is actively engaged to support local Belgium farmers and create malt from barley grown on Belgium soils. As consumers continue to demand more locally sourced and produced products, these efforts in Belgium help bring local barley to beer consumers in the form of delicious Belgium beers.
- On ‘World Water Day’, CEOs from 16 leading corporations, including ABInBev, Diageo, Heineken, Coca Cola Company, Ecolab, Cargill, who have pledged in an open letter to improve the way they use and manage water to ensure ample and resilient freshwater resources for all.
- Craft brewers are getting more and more concerned about brewing in a sustainable way. As their resources are limited in comparison with bigger brewers, they are employing creative and unique ways to decrease their use of natural resources – upcycling used water, taking land stewardship initiatives, recovering carbon-dioxide from the fermentation cycle, buying ingredients from local small-scale malt and hops growers, and various tactics to capture wastewater from the brewing process. All these small advances make a difference and also show the innovative drive of craft brewers.
- BrewDog is launching the first carbon-negative beer club. The company will ship, based on a monthly subscription arrangement, boxes of craft beer which will be brewed under license at BrewDog’s carbon neutral Ellon brewery. For every box of beer shipped BrewDog, which is officially claimed as a carbon-negative business and was recently awarded B Corp status, promised to offset 2.5kg of CO2.
- Harvard University scientists are proposing a plan to dim sunlight in order to cool down the planet. The scientists propose to launch a huge balloon into the stratosphere, carrying 600kg of calcium carbonate (chalk), which would be sprayed 12 miles above the Earth’s surface. The theory is the chalk would reflect sunlight and in turn slow the process of global warming. Some experts predict the sky would also shift from blue to white during daylight hours. The idea was announced first in December 2020, and recently received support from Bill Gates.
