Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) has set out a series of sustainability goals that will see all of its beer sold in returnable or recycled packaging and all of its electricity coming from renewable sources by 2025.

 

The new objectives build on targets the brewer of Budweiser and Stella Artois has published since 2009, but extend for the first time to external partners, including entrepreneurs whose ideas AB InBev hopes to tap through a start-up accelerator.

 

The initiative marks the latest attempt by a global brand owner to stay ahead of consumers’ demands for big businesses to make a positive contribution to society, at a time when brands such as Budweiser have lost market share to smaller rivals branding themselves as natural or artisanal alternatives to consumer staples.

 

Last year, Heineken Netherlands urged its container glass suppliers to reduce their environmental footprint in the glassmaking process.

 

In an interview with Glass International, Heineken’s Jan Kempers said its suppliers would need to reduce their emissions, in a bid to keep up consumer trends and a growing focus on the environment.