Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable Presents Carbon Footprint Research
Analysis To Drive Understanding Of Greenhouse Gas Impacts And Reduction Opportunities
(3BL Media) St. Paul, MN – September 10, 2012 – In an effort to accelerate understanding of beverage sector impacts on climate change and identify reduction priorities for greenhouse gas emissions, the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) has published its research on carbon footprints for five beverage categories – beer, bottled water, carbonated soft drink, spirits and wine. The research is presented in a series of reports each including boundary assumptions, emission calculation details, secondary data sources and impact analyses discussions for each beverage category in Europe and North America.
“The category models being released today are a good example of how companies can work together to promote environmental sustainability,” said Robert ter Kuile, Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability, PepsiCo. “This research will help PepsiCo, our fellow BIER member companies, our customers, and the broader beverage industry to identify new opportunities for sustainable business practices that conserve resources, reduce emissions and protect the environment.”
The carbon modeling and analysis contained within the reports is based, in large part, on data from BIER member companies through their independent business evaluations, such as life cycle assessments and greenhouse gas inventories. The research is intended to identify those aspects of the beverage value chain that contribute significantly to the overall carbon footprint of a product and to evaluate the sensitivity of the carbon footprint to modifications in material or production practices such as packaging material selection, distribution logistics and recycling rates.
“As leaders in the beverage industry, we acknowledge our responsibility to transparency and commitment to advancing environmental sustainability of the sector through data collection and best practice sharing,” says Tod Christenson, Director, BIER. “This research provides stakeholders with valuable insight into the important drivers of carbon footprinting for beverages and will monumentally benefit discussions on hotspot identification, product category rules and metrics for greater environmental stewardship.”
The research reports for each of the five beverage categories are available for download at www.bieroundtable.com
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. By accelerating the process of analysis to sustainable solutions, BIER aims to affect sector change through work focused on water stewardship, energy efficiency and climate change. BIER members include Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bacardi, Beam, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg, The Coca-Cola Company, Danone Waters, Diageo, Diversey, Ecolab, Heineken, MillerCoors, MolsonCoors, Nestle Waters, New Belgium Brewing Company, Ocean Spray Cranberries, PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard and SABMiller. For more information, visit www.bieroundtable.com.
About Global Corporate Consultancy
The GCC is a management consulting firm that specializes in sustainability, delivering results from strategy through implementation. Believing the best programs integrate sustainability into core business practices, GCC experts partner with clients to identify and act on business-relevant social and environmental opportunities. Through fit-for-purpose and uniquely innovative solutions, clients benefit from reduced business risk, new opportunities and long-term competitive advantage. For more information, visit www.anteagroup.com/gcc.
