Brewer committed to ongoing efforts to reduce carbon footprint

Shah Alam, 27 March 2019 – This Saturday, Carlsberg Malaysia will pledge its 11^th consecutive year of support to the global Earth Hour movement, highlighting its commitment to environmental protection and halting climate change.

For one hour, all non-essential lights will be switched off in Carlsberg Malaysia’s Shah Alam brewery and 17 sales offices nationwide in solidarity with over 45 sites across Carlsberg markets globally.

By turning the non-essential lights off at its brewery during Earth Hour every year since 2008, Carlsberg Malaysia has saved more than 3,930 kilowatt hours (kWh) at its brewery, equivalent to carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions reduction of 2,860 kilogrammes. The energy saved is equal to an average Malaysian’s energy consumption for 10 months* and can power a 40-watt lightbulb for more than 11 years**!

Piotr Zajac, Supply Chain Director of Carlsberg Malaysia, said, “Over the years, we have been improving on energy efficiency towards reducing our carbon footprint. In 2018, we reduced our total thermal energy usage while simultaneously increasing biogas usage, a renewable energy source, by 28%. Total electricity usage has also dropped 3% year-on-year. These improvements are testament to our ongoing investments in operational and equipment efficiency.”

“Our efforts for carbon footprint reduction also extend to our products, including changing to a thinner, lighter gauge for aluminium can walls and applying additional coating to our returnable glass bottles to reduce scuffing and improving their lifespan up to twice as long,” he added.

Together Towards ZERO, Carlsberg Group’s global sustainability programme, focuses on ZERO Carbon Footprint, ZERO Water Waste, ZERO Irresponsible Drinking, and ZERO Accidents Culture in line with Carlsberg’s purpose of Brewing for a Better Today & Tomorrow.

These ambitions were created in consultation with global scientists and are aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) calling on global communities to end poverty, reduce inequality, and reduce climate change by 2030.

Under ZERO Carbon Footprint, Carlsberg Group aims to achieve zero carbon emissions across all its markets and a 30% reduction in beer-in-hand carbon footprint, encompassing all steps of each beer’s journey from harvesting, brewing, transporting, storage, and enjoyment.

Carlsberg’s Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rethink (4Rs) programme aims to encourage the return of all reusable bottles, kegs and crates from market to brewery via an incentive scheme, as the production and disposal of packaging materials represents the largest component of Carlsberg’s global carbon footprint. In 2018, Carlsberg Malaysia maintained a return rate of 83% on returnable glass bottles – even while the volume of bottles in circulation increased 11.3%.

Join us in pledging your support and turning off your lights between 8:30pm and 9:30pm on Saturday, 30 March 2019! Read about Carlsberg Malaysia’s sustainability milestones in the latest 2018 Annual Report at carlsbergmalaysia.com.my.

* Electric power consumption (kWh per capita) in Malaysia: 4,545 in 2016. Source: meih.st.gov.my. 3,930 kWh / 4,545 kWh x 12 months = 10.4 months
** 3,930 kWh x 1000 / 40W = 98,250 hours or 11.2 years