Brazil’s Ambev changes direction, commits to eliminating carbon emissions by 2040

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Ambev on Monday, December 6, announced a plan to eliminate carbon emissions in its value chain by 2040 (scopes 1, 2 and 3). The deadline is ambitious, given that most companies have committed to 2050, the target set by the Paris Agreement.

The commitment came along with a new purpose: “We dream big for a future with more reasons to toast.”

According to the company’s vice president of sustainability and supplies Rodrigo Figueiredo, it represents the bridge between the ability to mobilize people in a common goal and the efforts to build a better future.

“Sustainability is essential in this process. The advance in the climate action agenda reflects the solidity of the results of our environmental initiatives and commitments so far, and the certainty that we can and will do much more,” Figueiredo said.

The plan establishes three action areas: engagement of the partner ecosystem, nature-based solutions, and focus on local impact. The initiatives are aligned with the Science-based Target Initiative (SBTi), the main standard used by the market to pursue the goal of containing global warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050.

Ambev has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 63% since 2003. Currently, all the company’s units operate with renewable energy sources.

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During COP26, the Glasgow Conference that discussed climate change in particular, Ambev presented sustainability initiatives and solutions. In one, the company showed how natural origin products, such as guaraná, water and barley are used responsibly. “There is no point in just launching a nice commitment without creating an impact,” Rodrigo Figueiredo Souza said.

In September, Ambev announced the first carbon-neutral large brewery and malting plant in Brazil, after a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions from these units and the neutralization of the remaining 10%. This represents approximately 9,700 tons less CO2 annually, equivalent to 1,300 fewer cars on Brazilian roads.