BUDWEISER BREWING GROUP
“ OUR BIGGEST SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGE IS AROUND PACKAGING ”
MAURICIO COINDREAU HEAD OF SUSTAINABILITY & PROCUREMENT , BUDWEISER BREWING GROUP
Every year it is taking hundreds of tonnes of plastic out of circulation .
One of its targets is to have 100 % of its packaging come from recyclable and reusable materials . But this is easier to achieve in some countries than it is in others , according to Coindreau .
“ For example , in the UK , every time someone consumes a drink from a glass bottle , they chuck it in the bin and it goes into recycling ,” he says . “ But imagine if we could make this a returnable system , so that every bottle gets used maybe up to 30 times . That ’ s the most sustainable way to package beer , other than a keg . Another way is through renewable electricity so it is also investing in new technologies , such as green hydrogen .”
Such a system requires a high level of collaboration , because the majority of consumers need to be on board . Coindreau
says that this is why sustainable drink packaging is a challenge for the entire drinks industry .
“ We need to convince retailers and other players in the drink industry to create a single approach , because consumers will respond best if it is easier for them to also participate , which it would be if there was just a single approach .”
“ Beyond this , we are also exploring lots of innovations around packaging ,” says Coindreau . “ Last year for example , we introduced the world ' s lightest beer bottle , and also a low carbon can .”
‘ Smart ’ programmes around water and barley For a brewer of such scale , the main raw ingredients that make up beer – grain and water – also present significant sustainability challenges , which is why the global business , AB InBev , has ‘ smart ’ sustainability programmes both for agriculture and water . procurementmag . com 93