Highlights of BIER 2018 Spring Meeting

June 5, 2018  /3BL Media/ - Global beverage industry leaders convened May 22-24, 2018 in Copenhagen, Denmark for the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) semi-annual meeting. Hosted by the Carlsberg Group, this three-day meeting’s agenda tackled environmental sustainability challenges and successes through best practice sharing on carbon emissions, water reuse and technology, energy and climate change, and transparency and disclosure. Additionally, we learned about the Carlsberg Group’s manufacturing operations and their journey toward zero emissions.

Meeting attendees also received a tour of the old Carlsberg brewery where they learned about the established history of Carlsberg as well as how to brew their own beer. Eskild Andersen, Sustainability Manager at Carlsberg Group, was happy to have us, saying, “Sustainability is central to our purpose of brewing for a better today and tomorrow, and it was a pleasure hosting BIER in Copenhagen for discussions and best practice sharing.”

Nick Martin, Executive Director of BIER, was also pleased with the outcomes and progress towards our mission and vision, noting, “Through the power of collaboration, BIER has brought a diverse group of member companies together to promote environmental sustainability within the beverage industry and beyond. This meeting was a prime example of our collaborative nature at work.”

BIER has pursued and championed environmental sustainability practices since its inception in 2006 and views collaboration and open sourcing as primary success factors. Responding to increasing pressure to the industry from internal corporate decision-makers, investors, and external stakeholders, BIER offers a unique and allied voice for the beverage industry. Current BIER initiatives include achieving meaningful watershed context-based impacts at the local level, emerging technologies, establishing guiding principles for science-based targets, and continuing to build on our previous work in CO₂ reduction, emerging emissions expectations, and transparency and disclosure. 

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 eco-system 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, New Belgium Brewing, MillerCoors, Molson Coors, Pernod Ricard, Ocean Spray Cranberries, and PepsiCo. For more information, visit www.bieroundtable.com.

About the Carlsberg Group

The Carlsberg Group is one of the leading brewery groups in the world, with a large portfolio of beer and other beverage brands. Our flagship brand – Carlsberg – is one of the best-known beer brands in the world, and the Baltika, Carlsberg and Tuborg brands are among the eight biggest brands in Europe. Around 41,000 people work for the Carlsberg Group and our products are sold in more than 150 markets.

Find out more at www.carlsberggroup.com, and follow them on Twitter.

About sustainability at the Carlsberg Group:

The Carlsberg Group’s sustainability program, Together Towards ZERO, is a response to global challenges such as climate change, water scarcity and public health issues. The program is an integral part of the Group’s SAIL’22 strategy and consists of four major ambitions and corresponding targets to be achieved by 2022 and 2030 respectively. The ambitions are: ZERO carbon footprint, ZERO water waste, ZERO irresponsible drinking and a ZERO accidents culture. The program encapsulates how the Group is pursuing its purpose of brewing for a better today and tomorrow. It is based on a scientific approach and aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Learn more about the Carlsberg Group’s work with sustainability, and its new ambitions and targets: www.carlsberggroup.com/sustainability