Anheuser-Busch Announces U.S. 2025 Sustainability Goals

From Anheuser-Busch:

Launches 100% Renewable Electricity Symbol on Budweiser Packaging in U.S.

ST. LOUIS, MO (April 17, 2018) — Today, Anheuser-Busch launched its U.S. 2025 Sustainability Goals, focused on four key areas: renewable electricity and carbon reduction, water stewardship, smart agriculture, and circular packaging. The ambitious goals, which build on the 2025 Global Sustainability Goals recently announced by the brewer’s parent company AB InBev, will guide and further Anheuser-Busch’s industry-leading sustainability efforts in the U.S. through 2025:

• Renewable Electricity and Carbon Reduction: 100% of purchased electricity will come from renewable sources; and CO₂ emissions across the value chain will be reduced by 25%
  

• Water Stewardship: 100% of facilities will be engaged in water efficiency efforts; and 100% of communities in high stress areas will have measurably improved water availability and quality
  

• Smart Agriculture: 100% of direct farmers will be highly skilled, connected and financially empowered
  

• Circular Packaging: 100% of packaging will be made from majority recycled content or will be returnable

Anheuser-Busch recognizes the huge opportunity it has to help protect the environment and inspire its partners to do the same. As beer is a natural product, a healthy environment is crucial to the brewing process. In fact, 98 percent of the primary ingredients used in the beers Anheuser-Busch proudly brews are grown in the U.S.

“We take great pride in our sustainability efforts and our long history of striving to be good stewards of the environment. Now, we are challenging ourselves to do more,” said Michel Doukeris, CEO of Anheuser-Busch. “Our company has been around for 165 years, and these goals will ensure that we continue to make meaningful contributions toward building strong communities and a healthy environment for the next 165 years.”

In conjunction with the announcement of the Goals, Budweiser today launched the 100% Renewable Electricity symbol, which will appear on its U.S. packaging beginning on Earth Day (4/22). The symbol celebrates that Anheuser-Busch, through its partnership with Enel Green Power, now secures 50 percent of its purchased electricity from wind power — more than the electricity used to brew Budweiser in the U.S. each year.

This is just one of many examples of the progress Anheuser-Busch, together with its craft partners, has made toward building a better world:

·        The company’s 12 major breweries boast a 99.8 percent recycling rate

·        Over the past decade, Anheuser-Busch’s major breweries have reduced water usage by 46 percent —saving the equivalent of 73 billion 12oz servings of beer

·        Last year, Anheuser-Busch launched its Elevate platform through which the brewer is working with its 10 craft partners on sustainability efforts, including installing solar panels across their facilities, which will transition to 100 percent purchased renewable electricity by 2020

·        The brewer has also pioneered new barley varieties that produce high yields using 40 percent less water

·        To reduce the environmental impact of its supply chain, Anheuser-Busch last year committed to purchasing 40 Tesla electric powered trucks

“This is a team effort — together with our wholesalers, suppliers, retailers, NGOs and government partners and more than 18,000 colleagues across the country — we’re committed to driving change, not just within our facilities, but in the broader communities where we live, work and play,” added Ingrid De Ryck, VP Procurement and Sustainability, Anheuser-Busch. “We firmly believe that investing in a more sustainable future not only brings us closer to realizing our dream of a better world, it moves our business forward.”

To learn more about Anheuser-Busch’s 2025 Sustainability Goals, please visit www.anheuser-busch.com/betterworld/sustainability.

ABOUT ANHEUSER-BUSCH

For more than 165 years, Anheuser-Busch and its world-class brewmasters have carried on a legacy of brewing America’s most popular beers. Starting with the finest ingredients sourced from Anheuser-Busch’s family of growers, every batch is crafted using the same exacting standards and time-honored traditions passed down through generations of proud Anheuser-Busch brewmasters and employees. Anheuser-Busch owns and operates 22 breweries, 20 distributorships and 22 agricultural and packaging facilities, employing more than 18,000 people across the United States. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.