Water Use

High-quality water is fundamental to our business. It is a key ingredient in our beers and soft drinks and is used in the brewing process for cleaning, cooling and steam production. The majority of water not used in our products is then returned to watersheds through bio-treatment systems that meet local water quality standards. Water is also an important consideration in our agricultural businesses and our raw material supply chain. Over the past year, we have steadily reduced our global water usage rate by employing a mix of low-tech fixes, operational innovations and employee-driven actions to optimize efficiency in every facility. In 2012, the company reached its three-year goal of using a leading-edge 3.5 hectoliters of water per hectoliter of production within a three-year period. This represents an 18.6% reduction in water usage across its global operations against a 2009 baseline. This is equivalent to the amount of water needed to produce approximately 25 billion cans of AB InBev products, which is about 20% of one year’s production¹.

View our Water Use and Reuse graphic.