Asahi Beverages latest environmental agenda builds on its solid performance in recent years, it says, covering climate change, sustainable packaging and the circular economy, and supporting local farmers.
Targets include:
- source 100% of our purchased electricity from renewable sources by 2025;
- zero waste to landfill at our manufacturing sites or warehouses by 2030;
- reduce scope 3 CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030 and to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. We are engaging our suppliers – from farmers to packaging companies to logistics – to help reduce CO2 emissions beyond our own business operations;
- all our packaging will be 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025; and
- transition to 100% eco-friendly materials for PET bottles by 2030 (eco-friendly means either compostable, bio based or 100 per cent recycled content).
Asahi Beverages employs more than 3,500 people across 26 manufacturing and corporate sites in Australia and New Zealand. Internal think tanks have been set up to engage staff in sustainability discussions as well as cementing the issue into the company’s culture.
Asahi Beverages Group CEO Robert Iervasi said sustainability is at the core of the business.
“Many of our brands date back to the 19th century. These targets will help us create an entirely sustainable business so we can continue producing some of Australia and New Zealand’s favourite beverages for the next 200 years and beyond.
“We are determined to do much more than make vague and distant promises that gather dust. That’s why we’ve already made some incredibly important transformative and tangible changes to become more sustainable.
“We want our employees, customers and consumers to know that when they make or buy our products, they’re supporting a more sustainable future for Australia and New Zealand.”
Achievements to date
- installing the largest solar project at any Australian brewery in Queensland;
- starting beer deliveries via electric truck with Linfox;
- replacing plastic ring packs on Cascade and VB;
- forming a JV to build a PET recycling plant in Albury, NSW that will process the equivalent of around 1 billion plastic bottles and be Australia’s largest when it officially opens in coming months.
- Cool Ridge water now made with 100% recycled PET
- purchasing 90 per cent of our barley direct from Aussie farmers to better support them financially and encourage sustainable growing practices. This will help us achieve our target of supporting farms to drive best practice land, environment & quality management
Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) CEO Brooke Donnelly said achieving the 2025 National Packaging Targets is, “one of the most crucial sustainability goals facing the industry in Australia and it is vital that our biggest and most influential companies step up and make sustainable packaging a priority.
“As one of the largest beverage companies in the region, it’s so pleasing to see Asahi Beverages not only making a firm commitment for a sustainable future, but also already rolling out exactly the kind of packaging initiatives we need to see across the industry moving forward.”
