A round-up of the latest business news including AzkoNobel, Britvic and Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Paint and coatings business AzkoNobel has announced that it is aiming to use 100% renewable energy and become carbon-neutral by 2050. It said 40% of its current energy needs come from renewable sources. The new mid-century targets also include using only renewable materials in its own operations. ‘This is about successfully using sustainability as a driver for innovation, new technologies, new partnerships and new service models,’ said corporate director of sustainability André Veneman.
Anheuser-Busch InBev has said that all its purchased electricity will be from renewable sources by 2025 – about 6 TWh of electricity each year. The beer producer said switching to renewables would reduce its operational carbon footprint by 30%. Its first renewable power purchase agreement is with Iberdrola in Mexico.
Soft drinks manufacturer Britvic has reported that a new high-speed bottling line, part of a £25m investment at its Leeds plant, has reduced water use by 22% and energy consumption relative to production volumes by 45%. Overall, the amount of water Britvic used relative to production at its European sites declined 1.5% in 2016. The firm said it had achieved a recycling rate of 84% and that its operations in Britain and Ireland had achieved zero waste to landfill. Britvic also announced that it is working with government agency Innovate UK and paper and paperboard producer Natural Resources (2000) on developing packaging from sustainably sourced, renewable wood fibre materials that are fully recyclable.
Kingspan has announced that it exceeded its 2016 target of generating at least half its aggregate energy use from renewable resources. The insulation and building solutions business said last year’s figure was 57%, demonstrating that it was on track to hit its goal, set in 2011, of operating at net zero energy by 2020. Kingspan said energy efficiency measures had reduced overall lighting and heat costs by more than 30%, while onsite renewable energy generation had increased from 6.6 GWh in 2012 to 32.2 GWh. In 2016, the group used 164.2 GWh of renewable electricity, an almost a six-fold increase from 2011.
