Demand Management, Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions, Industrial, Industrial, Sourcing Renewables - May 15, 2017
AB InBev reports $60M in energy efficiency savings
The world's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev, just recently committed to 100% renewable energy and made its first wind power purchase agreement, but its efforts in energy efficiency are more than a decade in the making.
According to AB InBev's most recent corporate sustainability report, the company has reduced its absolute energy usage by 10% since 2012, and over the same period, has saved nearly $60 million through energy efficiency improvements. One of the largest energy areas for the company to target has been refrigeration, according to the report:
To that end, we set a goal of reaching a 70% global average of eco-friendly cooler purchases annually by 2017. We reached that goal in 2015, and this year, 96% of our cooler purchases met the standards we set for environmentally friendly coolers, which include having at least two of the following features: long-lasting, energy-efficient LED lighting; energy-saving controllers; or an eco-friendly refrigerant gas that has much lower GHG impacts than conventional alternatives.
The company on March 28 announced a 100% renewable energy goal for the company's global operations, which represent nearly 6 terawatt-hours of electricity a year and is expected to reduce its operational carbon footprint by 30%.
"This will accelerate the transformation of the global energy market and aid the transition toward a low-carbon economy," CEO Carlos Brito said in a statement.
The renewable energy commitment will see AB InBev transitioning its 2016 fuels mix, which is currently primarily attributable —72% — to natural gas. Renewables made up the second-largest slice of the pie at 11%, followed by 6.9% coal, 6.2% purchased steam and 3.4% liquid fuels, according to the report. AB InBev says the renewable energy commitment will make the company the largest corporate direct purchaser of renewable electricity in the consumer goods sector globally.
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