2Sustain

Yesterday, Anheuser-Busch (AB) InBev announced a set of aggressive three-year global environmental goals as part of its Better World commitment. By the end of 2012, the company wants to:

• Reduce water use at its plants to 3.5 hectoliters of water for each hectoliter of production. This represents a 30 percent reduction per unit of production in  AB InBev’s water usage worldwide since 2007 and would save enough water to fill 25,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. Also, achieving this goal would establish AB InBev as the most water-efficient global brewer in the world.

• Achieve a 99 percent recycling and reuse rate – up from 97.2 percent in 2007 and 98 percent in 2009.

• Reach a 10 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and energy use for every hectoliter of production. Since 2007, the Company has reduced energy use per hectoliter by 10.9 percent.

It’s great to see AB InBev working to develop solutions to global water issues.  Many analysts now think water scarcity poses a potentially greater threat to businesses than the loss of any other natural resource, including fossil fuel resources. After all, remember: there are no alternatives to clean water.

AB InBev has already made progress in reducing its water footprint. For example:

• In the U.S., the Cartersville, Georgia brewery is well ahead of AB InBev’s stated water use target.Cartersville achieved an annual water use metric of 3.1 hectoliters of water per hectoliter of production in 2009.

• Likewise, the Wernigerode brewery in Germany achieved an annual water use metric of 3.09 hectoliters of water per hectoliter of production in 2009. The plant achieved this goal through a combination of engineering solutions and ongoing training sessions that help identify key environmental issues, ensure the economical use of resources and fine-tune procedures.

• The Jaguariuna brewery in Brazil has implemented a program to optimize utilization of water across allsteps of its production process. This has resulted in water usage reduction of 9 percent from 2007 to 2009, saving more than 170,000 cubic meters of water.

“As the world’s leading brewer, we recognize our responsibility to make the most efficient use of natural resources. We are acutely aware that water is a finite and precious resource and the principal ingredient in our products. Efficient water use is essential to the continued, sustainable growth of our business around the
world,” says Carlos Brito, Chief Executive Officer of Anheuser-Busch InBev. “Our global goals, including our 3.5 hectoliter water usage goal, mark a major step forward for our Company and are a central part of our vision tobe the Best Beer Company in a Better World. Reducing our environmental impact is one of the three Better World pillars we focus on, next to promoting responsible drinking and contributing to the communities in which we operate.”