BELGIUM – AB InBev, the Belgian transnational beverage and brewing company and the world’s largest brewer, has launched renewed sustainability goals with a focus on smart agriculture, water stewardship, packaging, and climate action.

In the revised goals, the company targets says that by 2025, it will aim for the adoption of 100% of its packaging to returnable or recyclable packaging for all its beer; 100% of its communities in high water stress areas will have better availability and quality of water; reduction of CO2 emissions by 25%; while it will source all of its electricity from renewable sources.

The company says it has met all its earlier sustainability goals and that it plans to advance its environmental and social commitments while introducing new programs that will have positive impact on the communities where it operates around the World.

“Sustainability is not necessarily something we have to do that will have a cost that doesn’t help the business. Sustainability is our business. If there’s no water, there’s no beer; it’s that simple,” said Carlos.

“Our consumers and our people also want to know where we stand on those issues.”

To advance environmental and social commitment, AB InBev will connect farmers to technologies, skills and solutions to problems they encounter including those related to global warming.

The firm aims to cut water use by restoring watersheds in areas that need it most, and improving water availability and quality for our communities.

The company has unveiled its new 100+ Sustainability Accelerator program that will bring expertise from scientists, technologists, start-ups, and entrepreneurs from around the world to solve environmental and social challenges.

The 100+ Sustainability Accelerator aims to solve 100+ challenges by 2025.

It will support promising ideas and high potential technologies, reflecting AB InBev’s vision of building a company to last for the next 100 years and beyond, says the company.

Run by the brewer’s ZX Ventures, the 100+ Sustainability Accelerator will run annual boot camps in nine regional markets followed by a 10-week program for select entrepreneurs to test and scale sustainability solutions.

The company expects to have the announcement for the first set of challenges in June.

According to Tony Milikin, the company’s Chief Sustainability & Procurement Officer, it will draw on and collaborate with governments, NGO partners, universities and innovators to tackle some of the world’s most important challenges, adding that it cannot deliver its goals alone.

According to the CEO, AB InBev is vulnerable to environmental changes since it relied on barley, malt, hops, wheat, rice and other products grown by 50,000 farmers in dozens of nations.

Companies such as McDonald’s and Walmart alliance have invested in renewable energy have adopted similar goals aimed at reducing environmental impact.

Global beverages giant Coca-Cola company recently announced a goal of helping collect and recycle the equivalent of 100% of its packaging by 2030, together with its bottling partners.

AB InBev recently introduced a renewable electricity symbol that indicates when its beer is brewed with 100% renewable electricity.