Molson Coors Reduces Water Consumption 0.6% in 2016

Molson Coors was able to reduce water consumption by 0.6% in 2016 and announced plans to improve water-use efficiency by 22% by 2025. The company’s water strategy focuses on working with farmers on water conservation, improving soil health and biodiversity, and advancing water restoration efforts in its watersheds. The company also plans to reduce water usage in its agricultural supply chain.

Within its plants, Molson Coors said it will work to improve wastewater management. “By increasing water efficiency in our breweries, we’re reducing the resources we use, the waste we generate, and the risks involved,” the company says.

Beyond reducing water usage, the company is recovering biogas from its wastewater through anaerobic digestion. This reduces wastewat6er discharge and increases the company’s use of renewable energy. Molson Coors operates anaerobic digestion facilities at 13 breweries, saving more than 8,600 metric tons of CO2 in 2016.

The company also achieved zero waste to landfill at 12 of its major manufacturing facilities.

2025 Goals

• Along with its 2016 achievements, Molson Coors announced new sustainability goals for 2025. These include:
  Improving water efficiency by 22% across breweries;
• Saving 1.68 billion gallons of water;
• Ensuring consumers have access to low and no-alcohol beers in every market where Molson Coors sells beer;
• Reducing absolute carbon emissions by 50% within their direct business and 20% across their value chain.

MillerCoors Also Succeeds in Water Reduction

With its purchase of MillerCoors in 2016, Molson Coors became the world’s third largest brewer.

MillerCoors itself announced earlier this summer that it reduced its water consumption by 15 billion gallons in 2016. MillerCoors used 16.9% less water compared to 2015 – equivalent to more than 500 million kegs of beer.

Water Reduction a Critical Focus

This is a critical year for the water industry, Bluefield Research president Reese Tisdale said in January. “Market forces such as drought and water scarcity will drive new business models and interest in water reuse. We will also see a focus on innovation in the form of smart water technologies and industrial water treatment; how far these solutions will go remains to be seen.”

Earlier this summer, beer brewer Carlsberg Group set a new goal of reducing water usage at its breweries by 50% by 2030. Reaching the goal will require “technological breakthroughs at brewery level” as well as collaborations with partners in high-risk catchment areas to ensure long-term water availability, said Jochem Verberne, global partnership director at WWF International, which conducted a water analysis for Carlsberg.