Environment
Carlsberg has just completed the first full year of its ‘Together Towards ZERO and Beyond’ ESG programme, which mixes long-running actions with more recent initiatives. The brewer made strong progress across all 11 focus areas of the targets and commitments outlined in 2022. The results to-date are detailed in the group’s ESG and Human Rights reports.
Anheuser-Busch InBev, Asahi, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Diageo, Heineken, Kirin and Suntory were among 346 companies worldwide included on sustainability disclosure not-for-profit CDP’s annual ‘A-List’ for leadership in environmental transparency and performance. CDP polled over 21,000 companies globally on climate change, deforestation and water security last year, scoring from D- up to A, with strict evidential requirements required for an ‘A’ grade in each of the areas.
Asahi set a new aim to reach net zero across its value chain by 2040, bringing forward its previous target by a decade. The goal follows the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) definition of net zero and covers all its emissions from Scopes 1, 2 and 3. Asahi has already made progress on reducing emissions as part of its commitment to limit global heating in line with the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement, and is progressing work towards its 2025 target for 100% renewable energy in its European breweries with new ‘Virtual Power Purchase Agreements’ in Hungary and Slovakia.
Carlsberg began a new 100% regenerative barley programme in the UK, by contracting 23 farmers to grow regenerative barley for a 2024 brewing pilot. The intention is that all of the company’s UK-brewed products will be made with regenerative barley by 2031.
The Coca-Cola Co is joining the World Economic Forum’s new Corporate Philanthropy Challenge for People & Planet, a global effort to mobilise US$1bn of capital from private corporations for climate and nature causes by 2030.
Heineken has partnered with transport company Einride, which specialises in electric and self-driving vehicles, to add new, heavy-duty, electric trucks to its fleet that transports beer between its Netherlands brewery and warehouse in Germany. The AI-supported vehicles will be powered by renewable energy, and Heineken plans to extend the partnership to other countries.
Social
In Cambodia, beverage alcohol brand owners including Bacardi, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg, Diageo, Heineken, Moët Hennessy and Pernod Ricard have announced plans to jointly develop a self-regulatory responsible marketing code. Cambodia’s Alcohol Industry Coalition’s new code will ensure that all marketing, advertising and promotional activities do not condone or encourage excessive consumption or misuse, and will only target adult audiences. The companies will also keep building on their work against underage drinking and drink-driving.
Diageo’s international educational campaign ‘Smashed’, which is delivered in schools as either a live theatre experience or an online learning experience, launched in Romania. The campaign reached over 2,000 students from seven national colleges and high schools, and a second edition is planned for later this year. Smashed programmes are currently active in countries including Italy and the UK, and are a key component of Diageo’s commitment to educate 10m young people, parents and teachers on the dangers of underage drinking by 2030.
Back to Cambodia, and Heineken unveiled a drink-driving prevention partnership with ride-hailing and grocery delivery app Grab. Launched by Cambodia’s State Secretary for Commerce, the one-year partnership will promote safe travel to Grab’s users and organise educational events for Grab’s drivers. Meanwhile in Vietnam, Heineken’s Tiger Beer brand completed a three-week safe-ride initiative, providing 60,000 ‘Free Ride’ journeys home for diners at Ho Chi Minh City’s restaurants.
In South Korea, Pernod Ricard kicked off its 2024 ‘Drink More Water’ campaign to promote responsible drinking and discourage excessive consumption. The campaign, which first ran last year, will share videos detailing responsible drinking guidelines across the social media channels for Pernod Ricard’s brands, major on-premise operators and magazines including Elle and Vogue. The hospitality chains will also promote the activation in their premises.
In Australia, Pernod Ricard’s winemakers unit partnered with DrinkWise on a responsibility initiative that provides visitors to its wine tastings with scratch cards to track their consumption. Meanwhile, in the UK, Pernod Ricard’s Jameson Irish whiskey has teamed up with the English Football League (EFL) on a ‘Sip Wisely’ campaign to promote responsible drinking to soccer fans. The activation will run on football stadium screens and displays, during video-on-demand coverage of games and on the websites of the EFL’s 72 member clubs.
Governance
In Italy, Bacardi launched the fourth edition of its ‘Shake Your Future’ professional bartending programme, offering aspiring young bartenders in five cities the opportunity to gain the skills and training necessary to embark on a career as a professional mixologist. Graduates will receive an internationally-recognised diploma and access to employment opportunities.
Beam Suntory staff from 30 countries participated in the seventh annual ‘One Suntory Walk’ health & wellness programme. The project encourages participation in physical activities while raising funds to support organisations that align with Beam Suntory’s ‘Giving Back to Society’ corporate value.
And finally, Kirin’s Lion Brewery published its Human Rights Policy, which supports the brewer’s belief in respecting the human rights of people within its operations and across its value chain. Lion’s policy acknowledges that its operations and value chain could cause, contribute or be directly linked to adverse human rights outcomes, and sets out its human rights commitments across the division’s global organisations and broader supply chain.
