Budweisers sold globally are to feature a symbol letting consumers know when the beer has been brewed using 100% renewable electricity. The move comes as parent company AB InBev, the world’s biggest brewer, works towards its RE100 commitment to source 100% renewable electricity worldwide by 2025.
“Leading companies know it makes business sense to switch to renewables and cut greenhouse emissions,” said Helen Clarkson, Chief Executive Officer, The Climate Group, which delivers the RE100 initiative in partnership with CDP.
“But to deliver on the Paris Agreement, we need to go further and faster,” she continued. “I am delighted to see that Budweiser is taking a leading position on renewable electricity as part of AB Inbev’s commitment to going 100% renewable through the RE100 campaign.”
Budweiser will launch the new symbol today in Davos, where the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting is underway. It will appear on the label of every Budweiser brewed in the US beginning in spring 2018, using electricity sourced from a wind farm in Oklahoma through an agreement with Enel Green Power.
Budweiser aims to roll out the symbol globally by 2025, to help raise awareness of renewable energy among consumers. The company estimates that the new symbol will reach millions of people in the US alone, and that when rolled out globally, 41 million Budweisers sold each day will create annual emissions savings equivalent to taking 48,000 passenger cards off the road for a year.
“We know that climate change is an important issue for consumers,” said Brian Perkins, Global VP, Budweiser, blogging from Davos. “However, they aren’t sure how their everyday actions can make a difference. The renewable electricity symbol enables consumers to make smarter everyday choices that can have a positive, meaningful impact.”
Peter Lacy, Global Managing Director of Growth, Strategy & Sustainability, Accenture, added: “We’re proud to work with Budweiser on this innovative ambition. We know that consumers are key to a sustainable economy and we encourage other consumer goods brands to celebrate their own journeys to renewable electricity.”
AB InBev joined RE100 in March 2017, when the brewer also signed a major power purchase agreement in Mexico, home to its largest brewery. This features in RE100’s new Progress and Insights Report, which shows a rise in companies signing power purchase agreements in 2016-17. AB InBev expects to obtain 75%-85% of its total purchased electricity this way.
Download the full report here.