BIER Stakeholder Spotlight: Tom Williams

Welcome to our series aimed at spotlighting the individual leaders within BIER member companies and stakeholder organizations. Learn how these practitioners and their companies are addressing pressing challenges around water, energy, agriculture, climate change and what inspires each of them to advance environmental sustainability in the beverage sector and collectively, overall.

Briefly describe your role and responsibilities and how long you have worked with your organization.

I have worked with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) since September 2018, I lead our work on water, engaging with member companies on a range of projects and advocacy efforts related to domestic, industrial and agricultural water use.

How has the organization’s sustainability initiatives evolved over the years and what are your priorities for 2020?

WBCSD is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, over this time our engagement with companies on sustainability issues has gained breadth – with six programs: Climate & Energy, Food & Nature, Circular Economy, People, Redefining Value and Cities & Mobility – and depth, contributing to initiatives such as the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and Science Based Targets (SBTs). From a water perspective, we have been active in this space for 15 years, pioneering work on water-risk mapping through the Global Water Tool and key topics such as valuing water.

Learn more about Tom Williams in this BIER Stakeholder Spotlight.

About BIER

The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) is a technical coalition of leading global beverage companies working together to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector. BIER aims to affect sector change through work focused on water stewardship, energy efficiency and climate change, beverage container recycling, sustainable agriculture, and ecosystem services. BIER members include: American Beverage Association, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bacardi, Beam Suntory, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Constellation Brands, Diageo, Heineken, Jackson Family Wines, MillerCoors, Molson Coors, Pernod Ricard, Ocean Spray Cranberries, and PepsiCo. For more information, visit www.bieroundtable.com.