Brewer leads industry to greener pastures

Brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev has taken another step in its drive to replace coal with clean energy by transforming 21 of its coal-fired operations in China into natural gas or steam-powered facilities.

With the world's largest investment in clean energy, China has made a remarkable switch from coal to alternative energy sources.

Coal is, however, still a major source of power and accounts for 60 percent of the country's total energy supply. AB InBev has identified the risks posed by burning fossil fuels and its actions in tackling carbon emissions have won wide praise.

"The carbon emissions generated from manufacturing operations have certainly escalated global warming and AB InBev's commitment to cutting emissions has undoubtedly set a real example for other companies," said He Yong, deputy secretary-general of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association. "It will push the industry into a more sustainable future."

Zhao Ying, a researcher at the institute of industrial economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, said: "In the long term, cleaner coal technologies will have an important role to play alongside other low-emission technologies such as wind and solar."

China's total share of the energy mix will fall from 76 percent to 52 percent in 2040. During the same period renewable energies will grow by more than 300 percent, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency's New Policies Scenario.

AB InBev has long been concerned with the effects of and dangers posed by climate change and has engaged with global governments and cross-industry initiatives in an attempt to tackle the problem. It has also focused on the problems of waste and energy consumption in its global supply chain.

In Europe, the company launched a number of Green Logistics initiatives to reduce energy usage and emissions in the supply and logistics process, one of which involved using river barges instead of trucks to transport empty beer bottles between its facilities in Leuven and Jupille in Belgium, a distance of roughly 90 kilometers. It has also installed weather monitoring systems in Idaho and Montana to help suppliers to use 9 percent to 23 percent less water, and has fitted solar arrays at many of its breweries in the United States.