DENMARK – Carlsberg Group Chairman Flemming Besenbacher has impressed on business leaders to understand issues regarding climate change and actively get involved in combating the changes needed, during his speech at Climate Week NYC.
“With pressing global issues such as climate change, we are living in a time of great risks and great opportunities.
I believe that the companies that will thrive in the coming decades are those companies that take action and contribute to sustainable development”, said Flemming Besenbacher.
“I am proud that with the new sustainability programme – Together Towards ZERO – the Carlsberg Group will be one of those companies, and will urge others to follow. This will ensure the scale and scope needed to create true durable positive change.”
His comments come after Carlsberg made a commitment to eliminate carbon emission of halving water usage at its breweries by 2030.
It was also one of the four companies that took the RE100 leadership initiative to 100 members, as also a commitment to 100% renewable electricity at its breweries by 2022.
Chairman Besenbacher also announced a 500Mdkk (US$80m) investment by Carlsberg Foundation in carbon reduction, water conservation and sustainable food production, while at the UN Climate Week on behalf of the Carlsberg Foundation.
The investment will be managed by BNP Paribas and sub-managed by Impax Asset Management while focusing on generating superior risk-adjusted returns and delivering sustainable benefits.
More importantly, the investments will be focussed on the Parvest Global Environment Fund, the Parvest Aqua Fund and the Parvest SMaRT Food Fund.
“With this 500m DKK investment, the Carlsberg Foundation aims to make a difference by generating sustainable returns, which we can give back to society or reinvest in other impact funds “he said, while taking about the investment by the Carlsberg Foundation.
