Climate change remains one of the most pressing global challenges facing society. At AB InBev, they state they are committed to driving decarbonization and building climate resilience through our 2025 Sustainability Goals. They are proud to announce a new ambition to achieve net zero across their value chain by 2040.
Ezgi Barcenas, their Chief Sustainability Officer, made the announcement during their 2021 Investor Seminar, in which their CEO Michel Doukeris presented a new Global Purpose – They Dream Big to Create a Future with More Cheers – and their company’s forward-looking strategy.
“Delivering on our purpose to create a future with more cheers means we must act with urgency to help address the climate crisis and support our communities,” said CEO Michel Doukeris. “Our business cannot exist without healthy, natural environments, thriving communities and a resilient supply chain, all of which require strategic climate action.”
“We are paving the way in climate action through our 2025 Sustainability Goals. We are proud to be one of the first 100 companies to have our climate action goal, which is consistent with a 1.5-degree pathway, validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. From building a resilient and agile value chain to solidifying our role as a trusted partner in local communities to identifying and capturing new sources of business value, climate transition and our broader ESG agenda will play a key role in delivering on our company strategy and purpose,” said Ezgi Barcenas.
The company has made significant progress towards our 2025 Sustainability Goals. Between 2017 and 2020, absolute GHG emissions in their operations (Scopes 1 and 2) reduced by nearly 25% and value chain emissions (Scopes 1, 2, 3) reduced by over 10% per hectoliter across their value chain. Earlier this year they announced our first carbon neutral breweries in Wuhan, China, and Ponta Grossa, Brazil and the first carbon neutral malthouse in Brazil. In addition, they announced a partnership to install the first green hydrogen station in Magor, UK. They will continue to pursue innovation and partnerships in support of their ambition to achieve net zero.
They have outlined our ambition to achieve net zero by 2040 through key actions to accelerate climate transition. The approach is:
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Strengthened by inclusivity: Collaboration with suppliers and retailers, partnering with start-ups with breakthrough solutions and engaging with the wider industry will be key to decarbonize the value chain.
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Underpinned by natural solutions: Engagement with farmers in our supply chain will help scale regenerative agriculture practices to enrich soil health while improving the ability to capture carbon. In addition, they believe that nature-based solutions to improve watershed health will help tackle climate change.
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Focused on local impact: They are prioritizing local emissions reduction in their operations and across their value chain, including through investment to drive local innovation.
The company believes that transparency and disclosure are key to reporting their learnings and progress towards the ambition. They will continue to disclose progress on their 2025 Sustainability Goals and ambition to achieve net zero by 2040, and they look forward to sharing more information in their 2021 ESG Report.
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