Press

IARD Members' ESG initiatives round-up: September 2022

The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking's (IARD) 13 member companies – the world’s leading beer, wine, and spirits producers – undertake a wide range of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives as part of their commitments to sustainability and social responsibility.

AB InBev recently announced it will brew all its beers in Western Europe with 100% renewable electricity, after opening a 148,147.6- megawatt peak (MWp) solar park near Granada Spain. The new facility is one of the largest solar power parks in Europe, and represents a major milestone for ABI’s energy transition and sustainability goals. READ MORE 

Meanwhile in South Korea, ABI’s OB Brewery is participating in a new Road Traffic Authority alcohol interlock pilot program as part of its ongoing drink driving prevention campaign. The interlock devices are being fitted in the vehicles of 20 staff including CEO Bae Ha-joon, who said that OB will help to shape the policy a part of its leadership of responsible drinking culture. READ MORE 
 
 
Asahi recently announced that a milestone 8 billion containers had been returned for recycling in Australia through the NSW container-deposit scheme, Return and Earn. Containers collected by Return and Earn are processed through a PET-recycling facility in Albury-Wodonga, which Asahi has operated as a joint venture with Cleanaway Waste Management, Pact Group Holdings Ltd and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners following its launch in March 2022. READ MORE
 
Asahi’s Victoria Bitter brand recently partnered with Australian chain store Dan Murphy’s to expand its 2021 Solar Exchange program, part of Asahi Beverages’ ambitious sustainability plan that includes a commitment to source 100% renewable electricity by 2025. The program encourages the public to embrace solar power by exchanging their surplus power credit for VB beer, and VB expects to exchange more than 1 million beers over the next 18 months. READ MORE 
 
 
Bacardi recently announced that 100% of the wineries used for its Martini brands are now certified sustainable. The grape juice used in Martini vermouth and sparkling wines is now sourced from wineries certified with the most comprehensive sustainability standard in Italian winemaking. This takes Bacardi a big step closer to its 2025 target of sourcing 100% of our key ingredients from sustainably certified suppliers. READ MORE
 
Bacardi has also set itself the goal of being 100% plastic-free by 2020 and has partnered with the campaign Beyond Plastic Bermuda to educate the local community on plastic pollution and eliminating single-use plastic. READ MORE
 
 
Beam Suntory recently launched its inaugural Sustainability Report, detailing the first year of its Proof Positive strategy, which includes commitments to combat climate change, reduce harmful drinking, and give back to communities. In the foundational year, Beam Suntory established renewable power purchases or generation at most of its global sites, applied macro-nutritional labeling to key brands across Europe and the U.S., and increased its percentage of female new hires and women in leadership roles. READ MORE
 
And in Japan, Suntory recently unveiled the world’s first 100% recycled aluminum can with the launch of two limited edition drinks. The cans’ carbon footprint is 60% lower than regular aluminum cans, in keeping with Suntory’s sustainability mission and company motto, “to create harmony with people and nature”. READ MORE
 
 
Brown-Forman’s el Jimador Tequila brand has partnered with leading Latin digital company mitú for #LatinHeritageMonth in the U.S., to promote independent Latin businesses around the country and elevate the Latin+ community through the Latino Community Foundation. The non-profit foundation has created the largest network of Latino philanthropists in the country, to amplify the voices of Latinos and the Latino Community Fund. READ MORE
 
This summer Brown-Forman also collaborated with the Kentucky Distillers' Association to send support to Eastern Kentucky communities hit by catastrophic flooding, providing tanker trucks of drinking water to residents in need. Brown-Forman also donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross, Volunteers of America, and Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund, and donated rare bottles of bourbon to a benefit auction for flooding victims. READ MORE
 
 
Carlsberg has introduced new targets towards achieving a zero-carbon footprint with its new ESG program Together Towards ZERO and Beyond (TTZAB). The TTZAB program contains updated targets and new focus areas, including a roadmap to achieve net zero carbon emissions across the entire value chain by 2040. Carlsberg has also raised ambition levels and sharpened targets in other areas such as water, responsible drinking, diversity, equity & inclusion, human rights, circular economy, and community engagement. READ MORE
 
Carlsberg has since announced two new ZERO targets for the TTZAB program, ZERO Farming Footprint and ZERO Packaging Waste, which will be achieved through implementing regenerative agriculture practices and new circular packaging solutions. READ MORE
 
 
Diageo recently announced £450,000 in funding for three new innovations to reduce and monitor the impact of water and climate crises on agriculture in Africa. The three solutions are part of Diageo’s Sustainable Solutions towards the company’s 2030 sustainability goals, and are focused on water, carbon, and biodiversity impacts. Smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable to weather changes and water scarcity arising from climate change, and Diageo is building resilience in its communities and monitoring its farming programs to preserve natural resources. READ MORE
 
In the Dominican Republic, Diageo has launched new responsible drinking programs to address the country’s relatively high traffic mortality rate, which saw over 10,000 crash deaths between 2015 and 2020. Diageo now has a number of programs targeting young people with timely information to help them make responsible choices, such as the company’s widely-established DRINKiQ initiative, which has already trained more than 37,000 Dominicans to identify risk situations.
 
Diageo also recently launched a new road safety program in the wider Central American and Caribbean region, in conjunction with UNITAR and in support of the second United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety. The A Contra Vía project will reduce alcohol-related crashes, and will reach at least 3,500 people in the Dominican Republic. READ MORE
 
 
Heineken recently inaugurated Cambodia’s largest biomass plant, which will provide fully renewable thermal energy for its Phnom Penh brewery operations. The brewery will cut its emissions by 60% through the $6 million facility, which will also create extra jobs for millers and farmers. In addition to its sizable contributions to the Cambodian economy, Heineken is committed to joining with the country’s efforts to achieve its climate protection targets, in line with its goal of goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2030 in our own production facilities and across the entire value chain by 2040. READ MORE
 
Heineken has also renewed its sponsorship presence at the Monza Formula One GP, using the platform to launch a new drink driving prevention message featuring its zero-alcohol beer Heineken 0.0. The latest iteration of Heineken’s When You Drive, Never Drink campaign will include representatives from the all-female W Series racing championship alongside F1 drivers for the first time, along with separate messaging targeting riders of other transport such as bicycles and scooters. READ MORE
 
 
Kirin is participating in the second half of a socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS) demonstration program in Japan for the Ministry of the Environment’s 30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity. 30by30 aims to conserve or protect at least 30% of the country’s land and sea areas, by 2030, contributing to the country’s biodiversity, and Kirin has been a participant in the program since April.
The ministry is considering designating high-biodiversity locations in private sector ownership as SEPLS, which would be certified as Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) from 2023 onwards. Kirin is contributing information gained from years of ecological surveys of its Mariko Vineyard, which it believes could be suitable for OECM classification. READ MORE
 
Kirin has also launched an initiative to provide recycling facilities next to its beverage vending machines around the country, from October onwards. Kirin will initially focus its efforts on areas with a high concentration of trash. READ MORE
 
 
Moët Hennessy recently unveiled a major solar power project at its Glenmorangie bottling plant in Livingston, Scotland. 1,476 new solar panels at the facility now generate one-third of on-site energy consumption, in a major step towards the company’s overarching sustainable strategy to achieve net zero carbon by 2040. READ MORE

Moët Hennessy also recently detailed its mission to save some of Spain’s oldest vineyards, protecting and investing in 200-year-old ungrafted vines in Toro, Zamora. These “ancient survivors” require great care to manage and comprise the largest extent of centenarian vines in Spain. And yet the value and yields of these ancient vineyards is still relatively low with little resale value, and so Moët Hennessy only acquires new plots to prevent the vines from being “abandoned.” READ MORE

 
Molson Coors has dedicated $100,000 to Chicago-based nonprofit One Million Degrees (OMD) to provide educational cost relief and wrap-around holistic support for community college students from underserved communities. The donation is part of a wider $1.5 million investment this year in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) organizations dedicated to equity, empowerment, justice, and community building, bringing Molson Coors’ total cumulative investment to $4.5 million. READ MORE
 
Molson Coors also recently presented $50,000 to 14 LGBTQ+ organizations through its annual Tap Into Change program in Chicago. A portion of Molson Coors’ profit from drinks sales at 14 participating locations, which each partnered with an organization to publicize the event, contributed to the overall donation. READ MORE
  
 
Pernod Ricard and Martell recently partnered with renowned actor Tony Leung to launch a new moderate drinking campaign in Shanghai. In a new video featuring Leung, best known in Hollywood for his role in the 2021 Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the actor orders a glass of water after finishing a drink to convey a simple message of moderation to the audience. READ MORE
 
Pernod Ricard also recently partnered with the Erasmus Student Network for the 13^th iteration of its annual Responsible Party campaign, which sends “ambassadors” to student events around Europe to offer food and water to young revelers, distribute information about harmful drinking, and help with safe rides home where needed. CEO Alexandre Ricard said the target of the “Drink More Water” campaign is young adults in the GenZ audience – “If you ask a 60-years old person what he or she thinks of the campaign, they won’t understand it.” READ MORE
 
 
In Australia, DrinkWise recently collaborated with medical practitioners on a new campaign urging women to abstain from alcohol when planning a pregnancy, during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Although the proportion of women who do not believe in drinking during pregnancy is rising, Drinkwise said that it is still “critical that we continue campaigns that can help deliver this important health message.” The campaign achieved widespread press coverage and was also covered by several national TV news show. READ MORE / WATCH MORE