Molson Coors reduced its direct and indirect carbon emissions by 2.4 percent in 2014 compared to the previous year, according to its 2015 Corporate Responsibility Report. The company is more than halfway to its 2020 goal of achieving a 15 percent reduction in carbon intensity against a 2011 baseline.
Despite the 2.4 percent decrease, emissions per hectoliter of product experienced a more moderate 0.7 percent decline because the carbon savings is primarily from reduced electricity use in areas with very low carbon intensity electrical grids.
Molson Coors currently sends 16 percent of its solid waste streams to landfill. The beer maker is aiming to send zero waste to landfill by 2020. Its three main breweries in the UK have been landfill-free since December 2012.
The amount of waste generated per pint of beer produced went down 11.5 percent in 2014 compared to the previous year.
Overall, the company decreased water use by 3.3 percent — nearly 8 percent below its 2011 baseline — saving more than 500 million liters of water. In 2014, Molson Coors’ ratio of water use to beer was 4.37 to 1, a reduction of 3.1 percent compared to the previous year. Since its 2011 baseline, the company has achieved 22 percent of its 2020 targeted water reductions and says it has a the capacity to deliver further water savings through better monitoring, tracking and onsite wastewater treatment.
In 2014, a total of 100,000 tons of packaging waste were avoided. In 2014, Molson Coors reduced the weight of primary packaging by 21 percent against its 2012 baseline. It attributes this performance to pushing a lightweighting agenda, seeking opportunities to explore new materials and processes and consumer purchase trends away from heavier glass bottles.
In 2014, Molson Coors was recognized as a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the third consecutive year.
