Cision PR Newswire
When we think of Budweiser's Super Bowl commercials, images of croaking frogs or horses playing football usually come to mind. But for this year's big game in Atlanta, the beer giant is going green.
Budweiser, which switched all its U.S. beer brewing to renewable energy last year, debuted a dreamy spot called, "Wind Never Felt Better," featuring its iconic Clydesdales, a Dalmatian and wind turbines.
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The 1-minute ad is set to Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" and has already been watched more than 65,000 times on YouTube.
</p><p>So far, it's been pretty well-received by viewers. "It is beautiful to see companies taking a stand, understanding corporate responsibility," one YouTube commenter wrote.
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Budweiser | Wind Never Felt Better | 2019 Super Bowl Commercial</small>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKDA2HVlgko" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
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Bud's eco-friendly makeover is a definite shift from a bunch of men <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W16qzZ7J5YQ" target="_blank">saying "Wassup" to each other</a>.
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"Those who wait for the best commercials all year expect Budweiser to show up big, and we felt there was no better way to show up this year than to talk about our commitment to renewable electricity," said Ricardo Marques of Anheuser-Busch, the brewer that makes Budweiser, Bud Light and many other beers, in a <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/budweiser-clydesdales-deliver-a-wind-powered-message-on-this-years-super-bowl-stage-300782620.html" target="_blank">press release</a>.
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"We are proud to be the first Anheuser-Busch brand and the first major beer brand to be brewed with 100 percent renewable electricity from wind power and hopefully we can use this moment to inspire others in our pursuit for a more sustainable future," Marques added.
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<span></span>What's more, Anheuser-Busch agreed to offset the electricity used during Super Bowl week in the host city of Atlanta.
</p><p>
The company "will supply Atlanta's Super Bowl Host Committee with renewable energy attributes to power the equivalent of the city's energy consumption for six days, including during the largest sporting event of the year," according to a press release sent to EcoWatch.</p><p>The electricity will come from Enel Green Power's <a href="https://www.enel.com/media/press/d/2017/05/enel-starts-construction-of-new-298-mw-wind-project-in-the-united-states-" target="_blank">wind farm in Oklahoma</a>. In 2017, Anheuser-Busch signed a long-term power purchase agreement for 152.5 megawatts of output from the 298-megawatt Thunder Ranch facility.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode twitter-embed-1088150883085492224" id="twitter-embed-1088150883085492224" type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1088150883085492224&created_ts=1548270362.0&screen_name=AnheuserBusch&text=.%40budweiserusa%27s+%23SuperBowlLIII+commercial+brings+its+long-term+sustainability+goals+to+the+biggest+stage+of+the+ye%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2Fx7vvrRqUpA&id=1088150883085492224&name=Anheuser-Busch" frameborder="0" data-rm-shortcode-id="7CLZ5Z1580739459"></iframe>
</p><p>"The renewable electricity purchased is the equivalent energy used to brew more than 20 billion 12 oz. servings of beer each year and is capable of meeting up to 50 percent of Anheuser-Busch's total annual purchased electricity," the press release noted.<br></p><p>
Last year, Atlanta became the the biggest city in the U.S. South to adopt a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/atlanta-clean-energy-2585744734.html" target="_self">100 percent renewable electricity goal</a>.
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"It's exciting to see Budweiser partner with Atlanta to power the city with renewables, too. By working together to drive down emissions, businesses and local governments can accelerate the clean energy transition around the world," Amy Davidsen, the North America Executive Director at The Climate Group, said in the press release.
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Anheuser-Busch
By Katie O'Reilly
You've heard of clean tech, but how about a clean buzz? While plenty of microbrewers, craft distillers and boutique wine-makers have in recent years made admirable strides toward greater environmental stewardship, Anheuser-Busch may well succeed in bringing the green-booze movement mainstream.
<p>Last month, the 165-year-old owner of brands including Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois announced that the roughly $400 million worth of electricity it purchases each year would be 100-percent renewable by 2025. The beer Goliath's stated sustainability goals also include ambitious vows to package beverages in majority-recycled content, improve water efficiency, work directly with farmers, and reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent. Perhaps most notably, all cans and bottles of Bud, as of this past Earth Day, sport a "100% Renewable Electricity" symbol. The idea is to make consumers aware that the suds they're swilling can be credited to sources such as solar and wind.</p>
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<p>"Budweiser is going to be carrying the flag for renewable energy around the world," said Anheuser-Busch CEO Carlos Brito in a statement announcing the new pledges.<br></p><p>That remains to be seen. But at the very least, the new initiative is expected to boost declining revenues in the company's largest market, the U.S.—where Bud Light and Budweiser for years have been <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/11/13/news/companies/budweiser-sales/index.html" target="_blank">losing market share</a> to smaller craft brews, wine and spirits. While the company has already tried <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2016/05/11/internet-backlash-ensues-over-budweiser-s-rebrand-as-america.html" target="_blank">changing labels</a> to connect with certain demographics (remember 2016's aggressively patriotic "America" branding?), this marks Anheuser-Busch's first real attempt at reaching consumers motivated by environmental concerns.</p><p>An impressive list of large companies—including Bank of America, BMW, Burberry, Citibank, Coca-Cola, Estée Lauder, GM, Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg's, Lego, Mars and Nike—have quietly committed to purchasing 100-percent <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy">renewable energy</a>. But Anheuser-Busch seems to be the only one going out of its way to tell its customers, <em>Look, even your beer thinks climate change is real and wants to do something about it!</em></p><p>What's doubly remarkable is the fact that Budweiser's target demographic looks nothing like Patagonia's or Ben & Jerry's—rather, it's mostly white, working-class men in the interior of America. "Beer snobs don't drink Bud, but the guy in a bar after a shift at a factory does," said business consultant Shel Horowitz, who coauthored 2016's <em>Guerilla Marketing to Heal the World</em>. "Probably a significant percentage of their market voted for Trump."</p><p>Horowitz said the new label decorating cans and bottles of Bud could be a real game-changer. "It creates what marketers call 'social proof,' and tells consumers, 'It's OK to be environmentally focused because all my friends are doing it,'" he explained. "Most people across all demographics want a healthy planet that sustains human, animal, and planetary health, but many of them are afraid to say so if they travel in hostile circles. This creates legitimacy for the position that clean energy isn't just some libtard nonsense."</p><p>Social-impact consultant Christen Graham adds that such broadcasting helps to normalize the notion of clean energy. "This labeling strategy builds awareness, sparks conversation about what exactly it means to be sourcing clean energy, and offers a gateway to the bigger discussion that consumers—particularly millennials—increasingly expect," she said. "The challenge is for the company to maintain transparency everywhere, even with more challenging questions."</p><p>After all, as business strategist James Reeves noted, the moment a company is inconsistent about its corporate social responsibility actions, it undermines any gains. "Think of BP, which led the way on green energy only to have its reputation erased due to Deepwater Horizon," he said. "However," Reeves adds, "Budweiser seems to be playing a long game. From a marketing perspective, its messaging will likely build greater affinity for the brand over time, and take away some of the mysterious, political sting of climate change deniers."</p><p>Ideally, Anheuser-Busch's new initiative and labels will set an example for other corporate giants. Because while the onus has long been on businesses to set a good, green example, Horowitz noted that nowadays, the federal government isn't providing them with any help. "Incentives in the tax code are going away, regulators are not clamping down on dirty competitors, and there's no real support from the government," he said. However, he posits that even in the age of Trump, forward-thinking companies will continue to step up to advance sustainability goals. "The economic incentives are so compelling that businesses will have to—otherwise, they'll get their clocks cleaned by businesses that have slashed their energy, materials, and waste costs. The current administration may not be enthusiastic, but American businesses are aware that if they leave a vacuum, China, Germany, and other countries are ready to jump in."</p><p>Graham points out that Trump-administration policies yield less influence on a Belgian-owned business like Anheuser-Busch. "They likely embrace corporate social responsibility from a European perspective, which is more environmentally progressive than America's," she said. "However, now that businesses recognize the double bottom line benefits of clean-energy sourcing—it's good for the planet and good for their costs—there will be more. It's basic dollars and cents—wind energy is far more cost-effective than coal now."</p><p>Whether or not every single beermaker likes cutting costs and pleasing environmentalists, they'll all have to do some ecological soul-searching before too long, as issues of water scarcity and water quality pose particularly serious threats to the food and beverage industry. "This is the silent crisis that's sneaking up on all industries but will hit this one particularly hard," Reeves said. "We don't see many headlines about it now, but in a few decades, it's all that companies, civil society, and government will be focused on."</p><p>May we all be swimming in a river of clearly labeled eco-beer when that time comes.</p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/budweiser-re-labels-climate-friendly-beer" target="_blank">SIERRA Magazine</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Anheuser-Busch—the St. Louis-based brewer behind Budweiser, Busch, Michelob and more—announced Tuesday a seven-year deadline on a slew of sustainability targets.
The company's new U.S. 2025 Sustainability Goals focus on four key areas: renewable electricity and carbon reduction, water stewardship, smart agriculture and circular packaging.
<p style="">
Among the goals, the company wants 100 percent of its purchased electricity to come from
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_blank">renewable sources</a> by 2025, as well as a 25 percent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions across the value chain.
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It also wants 100 percent of its facilities to be engaged in "water efficiency efforts," and all of its packaging to either be returnable or made with majority recycled content by the same deadline.
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"More and more, consumers are choosing to engage with companies that are doing good in the world," said Anheuser-Busch President and CEO Michel Doukeris in a statement provided to EcoWatch. "As the leading American brewer, we have a responsibility to set an example and be good stewards of the environment. It's not just the right thing to do, it's good for business."
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Also Tuesday, along with Anheuser-Busch's 2025 goals initiative, Budweiser announced that all Buds sold in the U.S. will feature the "100% Renewable Electricity" symbol. The new logo will start appearing this
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/earth-day-nyc-2560630351.html" target="_blank">Earth Day</a> on April 22.
</p><p style="">
"The symbol celebrates that Anheuser-Busch, through its partnership with Enel Green Power, now secures 50 percent of its purchased electricity from
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wind">wind</a> power—more than the electricity used to brew Budweiser in the U.S. each year," Anheuser-Busch <a href="http://www.anheuser-busch.com/newsroom/20071/04/anheuser-busch-announces-u-s--2025-sustainability-goals.html" target="_blank">touted</a>.<span></span>
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Anheuser-Busch's new initiatives build on the 2025 Global Sustainability Goals
<a href="http://www.ab-inbev.com/better-world/2025-sustainability-goals.html" target="_blank">recently announced</a> by Belgian parent company and world's largest brewery, AB InBev. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/anheuser-busch-renewable-energy-2334687279.html" target="_blank">Last year</a>, the global beer giant <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-28/world-s-largest-beer-maker-commits-to-100-clean-energy-by-2025" target="_blank">vowed</a> to completely shift from fossil fuels by 2025, including investing in their own renewable energy sources.
</p><p style="">
<span></span>"We take great pride in our sustainability efforts and our long history of striving to be good stewards of the environment. Now, we are challenging ourselves to do more," Doukeris said. "Our company has been around for 165 years, and these goals will ensure that we continue to make meaningful contributions toward building strong communities and a healthy environment for the next 165 years."
</p><p style="">
<span></span>Doukeris told <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/anheuser-busch-to-turn-its-beers-green-ceo-says" target="_blank">FOX Business</a> that the company's new green efforts will not increase the price of its brews. Rather, President Trump's new 10 percent <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/steel-tariffs-carl-pope-2544016081.html">tariff on aluminum</a> will.
</p><p style="">
"We are always concerned with the cost of input and output costs for consumers and retailers. Aluminum is a very important item, so as these costs [go] up, it will dramatically impact the final cost of beer and can have impact on the number of jobs," he said.
</p><p style="">
Last month, AB InBev CEO Carlos Brito told
<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-21/this-sustainably-sourced-trump-tariff-hiked-bud-s-for-you" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a> that the cost could increase up to 3 percent.
</p><p style="">
"When you put tariffs on aluminum in the U.S., for sure that will increase the price of beer for consumers," Brito said. "For example, 10 percent on aluminum at the current prices, that will represent 2 percent to 3 percent more pricing for the consumer. That's more than inflation."
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The "King of Beers" is going green. Wikimedia Commons
Budweiser is switching all its U.S. beer brewing to renewable electricity and is launching a new label this spring that indicates that Bud is brewed with 100 percent renewables.
The move is line with parent company and world's largest beer manufacturer AB InBev's announcement last March to shift from fossil fuels by 2025 by obtaining all of its purchased electricity for brewing from renewables. The international beer giant owns 35 titles including Budweiser, Bud Light, Stella Artois, Natural Light, Busch, Michelob Ultra, Shock Top and Goose Island.
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Forty-one million Budweisers are sold on average every day around the world. The switch to renewable electricity in Budweiser brewing operations will be the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road every year, the company said.
</p><p>
<span></span>The U.S. will be the first country where Budweisers will be brewed using 100 percent renewable electricity. The electricity will be sourced from Enel Green Power's 298-megawatt Thunder Ranch <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wind">wind</a> farm in Oklahoma.
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzExODkyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5NTA3OTIwNH0.lhN0hhiZuO1UB7yVJDMZ0fWebVJZrVDVXt-G5IXB-UE/img.jpg?width=980" id="d1f5b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="14490b12454b7199ba243cda0f9d1a68" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Thunder Ranch wind farm</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Courtesy of Budweiser</small>
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"And that's just the beginning," Brian Perkins, global vice president at Budweiser, told <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40519988/budweisers-new-symbol-stands-for-every-beer-made-with-100-renewable-energy" target="_blank">Fast Company</a>. "There's a solar field in Texas coming online in the next couple of years, as well as more similar infrastructure and deals happening in some of the bigger countries where we operate."
</p><p>
Budweiser has committed to brewing all of its beers around the world with 100 percent renewable electricity by 2025.
</p><p>
The company is encouraging other brands to use their new label on any product made using 100 percent renewable electricity to help build the environmental movement and to tackle <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change">climate change</a>.
</p><p>
"We know that climate change is an important issue for consumers. However, they aren't sure how their everyday actions can make a difference. The renewable electricity symbol helps consumers make smarter everyday choices that can have a positive, meaningful impact," Perkins said.
</p><p>
According to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-environment-budweiser/green-logo-for-budweiser-as-brewer-taps-into-u-s-wind-power-idUSKBN1FD0D6" target="_blank">Reuters</a>, Budweiser believes that consumers will embrace the logo despite <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/">President Donald Trump</a>'s push of fossil fuels and well-known climate change denial.
</p><p>
"We've talked to beer drinkers in multiple countries—they roundly agree that climate change is a big issue," Perkins said.
</p><p>
Budweiser, which has recently fallen behind Miller Lite as the country's No. 3 favorite beer, behind No. 1 Bud Light and No. 2 Coors Light, is hoping to lift sales after a dip, Reuters reported.
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzExODg4Mi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTk5NzY5OH0.VS7jjKLU5FHfSejCXW7OXfmgmAKiLxT4I71rDPYxH2E/img.png?width=980" id="b4d94" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fab2a650e1a75131be9f2059fa6a218e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">This clean energy logo will be added to Budweiser's U.S. beers. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Courtesy of Budweiser</small>
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