MillerCoors is pursuing more rigorous water use standards at its Milwaukee brewery in partnership with the Alliance for Water Stewardship.
AWS is a multi-stakeholder organization dedicated to supporting responsible water usage with three programs: a standard and verification system, membership in its official association, and training.
The MillerCoors Milwaukee Brewery is trying to be the very first brewery in the world to achieve certification to the AWS Standard.
“For the food and beverage industry, this is huge news,” said Matt Howard, director of AWS North America. “Those companies that are involved in conservation efforts tend to look up to the things MillerCoors does.”
Being so well-known for its environmental efforts already, MillerCoors seeking this certification sends a “really important signal” to the rest of the food and beverage industry, Howard says.
“MillerCoors has long been recognized as a leader and first-mover in the space of corporate water stewardship,” Howard said. “Implementing the AWS Standard at their historic Milwaukee Brewery will demonstrate to the world that effective and credible water stewardship enhances brand value while ensuring our freshwater resources are healthy and accessible for generations to come.”
To earn certification, organizations must demonstrate understanding of their own water use. Concerns include water governance, water quantity, water quality and other water-related metrics. Certification is granted by an independent third-party auditor.
The partnership between MillerCoors and AWS is supported by a grant from the Fund for Lake Michigan to the North America office of AWS. Actions taken as a result of the partnership will directly and positively affect the Menomonee River and certain lakeshore areas of Lake Michigan, according to a release.
“At MillerCoors we are always interested in having a better understanding of the dynamics of our watersheds, as ensuring there is a good supply of quality water is critical to our community and to making great beer” said Audrey Templeton, environmental safety and health manager for MillerCoors. “We are very excited to begin this journey with AWS.”
In 2013, MillerCoors endorsed the United Nations Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate, a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General and the UN Global Compact.
The UN Global Compact is the largest corporate sustainability project in the world, with over 9,000 companies and stakeholders from 164 different countries.
As part of its endorsement, MillerCoors adopted a reduced water-to-beer target ratio of 3-to-1 by 2020. As of now, the company has achieved a ratio of 3.2-to-1, a nearly 10 percent reduction in the last three years.
“People might not always realize the important connection between freshwater and business but MillerCoors certainly understands it,” says Vicki Elkin, executive director of the Fund for Lake Michigan. “We’re thrilled to be part of this historic move by our local brewing industry and are confident MillerCoors will inspire private industries throughout the Great Lakes and across North America to reduce their water footprint by implementing the AWS standards.”
–By Alex Moe
WisBusiness.com
