FDBusiness.com

Carlsberg has released its 2014 CSR report and Economic Contribution report. Following the recent announcement of a project to develop the world’s first 100% biodegradable, wood-fiber beer bottle – the Green Fiber Bottle – and Cradle-to-Cradle certification of cans in the UK, these reports demonstrate further progress on Carlsberg’s CSR commitments, along with the significant economic contributions to society made by the group’s activities.

2014 Highlights

Heightened focus and concrete results on sustainable packaging – The Carlsberg Circular Community continues to make good progress alongside its six founding partners, using cooperation and the Cradle-to-Cradle® (C2C) framework to design packaging that is optimised for the circular economy. In 2014 Carlsberg achieved C2C certification for its Carlsberg and Somersby cans in the UK. 45 consumer-facing campaigns were also carried out to improve awareness of recycling.

Environmental efficiency of key importance – Overall environmental efficiency was down with the inclusion of new facilities in China and India (Water usage +2%; energy usage +5%; CO2 emissions +10%). Meanwhile, environmental efficiency continues to improve like-for-like vs 2013 (Water usage -5%; energy usage -2.3%; CO2 emissions -2.5%), and the Group is on track to meet 2017 targets. Carlsberg refilled more than 6.4 billion refillable glass bottles.

Responsible drinking a key focus area – 115 campaigns on responsible drinking were activated across the Carlsberg Group in 2014. The Group is on track to deliver on its global commitments to promote responsible drinking.

Important economic contributions to society – For the first time, the Carlsberg Group is presenting a report which details the full extent of its economic contribution to society – by creating jobs, growth and a range of government revenues. The Carlsberg Group employs more than 46,000 people directly, with nine more jobs created indirectly for each person employed by Carlsberg. DKr81.1 billion (approx. Eur11 billion) in added value was also generated by the production and consumption of the Carlsberg Group’s products.

Morten Nielsen, Vice President for CSR at the Carlsberg Group, says: “We’re pleased with our 2014 progress within CSR. We’ve continued to make good progress in existing markets, and are bringing new markets and breweries into our global CSR reporting and management framework. At the same time, our heightened focus on the circular economy and sustainable packaging is giving rise to exciting developments and some very positive results. All this forms part of the Carlsberg Group’s commitment to ethics, transparency, safety and environmental stewardship.”