Molson Coors Brewing Co., Denver, released its 2015 Corporate Responsibility Report covering the company’s 2014 performance toward its 2020 goals.

“Through Our Beer Print, we are striving to increase our environmental performance, support an engaged workforce and develop a social purpose for our core brands,” said Mark Hunter, president and chief executive officer of Molson Coors, in a statement. “In 2014, Molson Coors was recognized as a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the third consecutive year. We’re proud of this recognition, which reflects our longstanding commitment to corporate responsibility and transparent reporting.”

In 2014, Molson Coors achieved progress toward its 2020 targets of zero waste to landfill, 25 percent energy reduction and 15 percent reduction in carbon and water intensity, the company reported. The following are some of the company’s results:

·         Reduced energy use by 3.4 percent, equivalent to the average annual energy consumption of 1,600 households

·         Reduced carbon emissions by 2.4 percent, equivalent to 7,700 tons

·         Decreased water use by 3.3 percent — nearly 8 percent below the 2011 baseline, saving more than 500 million liters of water

·         Reduced waste generated per pint of beer produced by 11.5 percent

·         Invested more than $20 million in new anaerobic digestion wastewater plants and energy centers

Among the company’s 2015 corporate responsibility performance highlights are alcohol responsibility, environmental stewardship, employees and community, and responsible sourcing.

As an example of alcohol responsibility, in 2012, Molson Coors joined 12 other leading beer, wine and spirits companies to strengthen efforts to reduce harmful drinking around the world. As part of these commitments, Molson Coors helped launch ResponsibleDrinking.org in May 2015. The website is intended to be a helpful health destination for current information on issues related to safe, legal and responsible drinking decisions across the globe.

The following also are highlights of environmental stewardship from the company:

·         Energy and carbon: 26 percent of the 2020 targeted energy reductions and 53 percent of the carbon reduction targets have been achieved to date. The $11.2 million investment in a new U.K. energy center is predicted to improve the site’s carbon emissions by an additional 6.5 percent.

·         Waste: Reduced the amount of waste generated per pint of beer produced by 11.5 percent in 2014, and continuing with its Sustainability Strategy, all operations will be landfill-free by 2020. All U.K. breweries already are zero waste to landfill.

·         Water: As part of its commitment to invest in wastewater-to-energy projects, Molson Coors commissioned a new anaerobic digestion wastewater plant in Bulgaria and began construction on two additional plants in Serbia and Montenegro — a total investment of $11.8 million.

·         Packaging: In 2014, a total of 100,000 tons of packaging waste were avoided. Although the shift in packaging mix and consumer trends has given opportunities to exceed targets, Molson Coors has reduced weight savings through lightweighting initiatives and changing the materials for a number of formats.

The company noted that under employees and community, its employees are engaged with the company’s corporate responsibility strategy through Our Beer Print. In 2014 alone, 930 employees participated in Our Beer Print Month activities and 10,000 individual Our Beer Print Month commitments were made. The company also invested 1.45 percent of pre-tax profits to charity, community and corporate citizenship activities.

Finally, within responsible sourcing, in 2012 the company established the Supplier Standards that outlines Molson Coors’ expectations of suppliers in the areas of environmental, social and economic sustainability. In 2014, the Supplier Standards were communicated as an ongoing requirement to 100 percent of its global supply base, and 120 suppliers were audited to ensure ethical compliance.