E-Malt.com News article: South Africa & the Czech Republic: SABMiller measures its beer’s water footprint

SABMiller plc, published on August, 18 a report prepared in collaboration with WWF, which explains the water footprint of the whole value chain for SABMiller's beers in South Africa and the Czech Republic.

SABMiller and WWF are working together on water footprinting to better understand the quantity, efficiency and geographical context of water used to produce beer in order that this resource can then be better managed. The two organisations are using the insight provided by water footprinting to develop targeted programmes to improve water management. For example SAB Ltd in South Africa already works with barley farmers to improve their yields and water use, and with WWF the company is now considering how to develop this further to protect the watersheds within which it operates.

A water footprint encompasses the entire value chain, from crop cultivation and processing, through to brewing and distributing the beer and details the total water input, both direct and indirect. The new report reveals that in South Africa, the total water footprint is equivalent to 155 litres of water for every 1 litre of beer such as Castle lager and Carling Black Label. The vast majority of this (98.3%) comes from the cultivation of crops, both local and imported.

For Plzensky Prazdroj, SABMiller's Czech operation and home of Pilsner Urquell, agriculture is again the most significant component; accounting for over 90% of the total water footprint. However the overall water footprint is significantly smaller at 45 litres of water to every 1 litre of beer. This difference is due to a number of factors including weather, the reliance on irrigation in South Africa and the proportion and origin of imported crops.

In comparison with other beverages, beer's water footprint is relatively small; for example an independent report by Pacific Institute has estimated that coffee, wine and apple juice all have water footprints more than three times that of beer. However, the water footprint figure itself does not give the whole picture. More important is the context - where it is used, what proportion of the area's total water resource it represents, and whether water scarcity creates risks to the environment, communities and businesses now or in the future.

Stuart Orr, WWF's freshwater footprint manager, said: "The water footprints of SABMiller's beers in South Africa and the Czech Republic are the first detailed corporate water footprints to be published and are progressive in the way they examine the impact of water use within these countries. Most important is that this information is now used to ensure that their business partners - particularly farmers - are encouraged to use water more efficiently."

SABMiller head of sustainable development, Andy Wales, explains "Water footprinting enables SABMiller to understand which parts of our supply chain might face water scarcity, or poor water quality, in the future, and means that we can plan now to deal with these future challenges. We will build on our existing partnerships with WWF in South Africa, Colombia, and Honduras to create further local watershed protection projects to reduce risk whilst protecting the environment."


19 August, 2009