Water Stewardship
Molson Coors & Water
Operational Commitments
Global Partnerships
Our Heritage and Experience
A History of Commitment to Water
Molson Coors & Water
Preserving clean water and ensuring it as a sustainable resource is part of Molson Coors’ heritage and future. The quality of our beer is directly tied to the quality of the water we use to produce it. With over 350 years of combined brewery heritage in the US, Canada and the UK, we have developed and implemented real-world solutions for water use and conservation in our breweries and watersheds.
In the brewing process, water usage is measured as the total volume of water used for each volume of beer produced. Molson Coors water use ratio is about 4.55 hl/hl. Water is used in the brewing process, for cleaning brew kettles, fermenting and aging tanks, and in the packaging lines. It is also needed for rinsing bottles and cans prior to packaging and some is used for cooling machinery. Also included in the equation is water used in buildings to support needs of the workforce. The vast majority of cleaning and rinsing water is treated to meet or exceed regulated standards, and then discharged. A small percentage is lost to evaporation.
Molson Coors score cards water usage at each of our breweries in an effort to identify strategic ways in which we can use less water in production areas, thus reducing our impact on the environment and ensuring sustainable water sources.
We are an active member of the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER). Formed in August 2006, the objective of this working group is to bring together leading global beverage companies to define a common framework for stewardship, drive continuous improvement in industry practices and performance, and inform public policy in the areas of Water Conservation and Resource Protection, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Mitigation.
Operational Commitments
Molson Coors has set the global target to improve water efficiency year over year by 4% (2008 – 2012). In 2008, the company reduced its overall water use by 4%. Water and our overall environmental performance data is verified by an independent third party prior to publication.
In 2009, Molson Coors committed to conduct watershed assessments at each brewery location. In the UK, we commissioned a study of water resources, water use and water disposal at each facility. The findings of the study will feed into the development of a strategy for water stewardship in the UK as well as a global strategy.
Molson Canada has also recently commissioned a similar assessment of water use in the watersheds where we produce beer. The study will look at the entire supply chain including the overall impact Molson has or could have in the communities where we operate.
Global Partnerships
Molson Coors is a signatory of the UN Global Compact and in September 2008 signed the CEO Water Mandate. Progress on global commitments will be reported through annual Corporate Responsibility reports, public forums and conferences and direct employee engagement communications.
In July 2009, Molson Coors announced a strategic collaboration with Circle of Blue in support of our mutual and long-term commitment to protecting global fresh water supplies. Circle of Blue is an international network of leading journalists, scientists and communicators focused on global water issues.
The collaboration's first initiative was to launch an independent survey of public awareness and concern for fresh water issues in 25 countries around the world, with a deeper evaluation of attitudes about fresh water conservation in a smaller subset of seven countries. The research and survey analysis was conducted by GlobeScan, a nonpartisan research and polling firm, and provides the first substantive global benchmark for civic engagement on fresh water issues. The global survey results were announced at World Water Week in Stockholm, September 18 2009.
Stockholm 18 August 2009
Molson Coors at World Water Week
Our Heritage and Experience
• Molson Coors maintains a dedicated, enterprise-wide water management team, which is responsible for the company’s water resource supply, management and sustainability.
• In addition, each of our 18 breweries has a dedicated water and environmental sustainability manager.
• In the US, we have established community partnerships in each brewery location that encourage employee and community engagement in solving local water issues.
• Also in the US, Molson Coors directly operate 8 waste water treatment facilities and 3 water treatment facilities that meet all applicable regulatory standards.
• Our Golden, Colorado USA brewery is completely self-sufficient, managing the water supply provided from the Clear Creek Watershed from source to treatment. The complete water resources system of storage reservoirs, water rights and water treatment capacity could support a city of over 200,000 people.
• The Golden brewery diverts 50,000 acre feet of water per year for its operations, but returns approximately 90% to the watershed for beneficial use by other stakeholders.
• Coors constructed the first industrial waste treatment plant in Colorado in 1953.
• Molson Coors has unique water expertise in the US in that water in Colorado is a real property right, for which Coors has rights dating back to the 1860s.
• In the UK, Molson Coors operates one water treatment facility in Burton on Trent and one waste water treatment facility in Tadcaster.
• Our Tadcaster treatment plant is partnering with the UK Environment Agency to meet its river quality targets. It has been designed to help safeguard important fish spawning areas and increase the quality of the water in the local river.
• In the UK, the water in the Burton area is considered the optimum water for brewing and the process of adding salts to brewing water to mimic the makeup of this water is still widely known as ‘Burtonising’.
• Two of our UK breweries are self sufficient for brewing water reducing the pressure on the municipal supplies in the areas.
A History of Commitment to Water
We have been a champion and advocate for water management, protection and sustainability in our local watersheds as a matter of course. Typical activities include strong participation in robust and established open forums to share lessons learned and collaborate on solutions to ongoing water challenges (quality and quantity) within our communities. We have also been directly involved with various local technical and community based boards and committees. Experts within the fields of engineering, hydrology and the environmental sciences are directly employed and leveraged by MCBC to provide this leadership and expertise. These efforts have improved local community educational outreach, networking and collaboration of diverse stakeholders and the completion of real infrastructure, environmental and “good Samaritan” projects.