Chongqing - Chongqing Brewery, a subsidiary of the Carlsberg Group in China, has made a significant impact on global water conservation, according to a recent report released by the company.
As one of the biggest challenges faced by brewing companies, reducing water consumption is a crucial step towards achieving environmental impact targets. Carlsberg China has achieved an impressive 42% reduction in water usage between 2015 and 2022, as highlighted in their latest report.
This reduction can be attributed mainly to Chongqing Brewery, which is the only platform for Carlsberg's beer assets in China. The brewery operates factories that produce both the Carlsberg series of beers and local beers for multiple provinces in the country, making it the primary contributor to this achievement.
Chongqing Brewery is an old brand that owns the memory of a generation of local people. In 2013, Carlsberg owned 60% of the shares of the former, becoming the absolute holding shareholder. (Photo/Carlsberg China)
According to a recent report released by the Carlsberg Group, Chongqing Brewery has surpassed its preliminary water conservation target, which aimed to reduce water usage per unit product by 25% by 2022.
The brewery has set an ambitious goal of further reducing water usage by 50% by 2030. Between 2015 and 2022, Chongqing Brewery saved a total of over 2.07 million tons of water, equivalent to around 830 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Of the top 20 breweries with the most significant water conservation efforts in the Carlsberg Group's 2022 ranking, 13 are located in China. The top three breweries were all part of the benchmark water conservation project for Chongqing Brewery, led by the Dazhulin brewery in Liangjiang New Area of Chongqing, which achieved a water usage rate of 1.69 HL/HL (i.e., 1.69 hectoliters of water used per one hectoliter of beer brewed), well below the industry average of 3.52 HL/HL.
Furthermore, the brewery located in Liangping District is the first of all Carlsberg factories worldwide to use less than 2.0HL/HL of water in a pure glass bottle production line.
In 2022, Chongqing Brewery launched a successful water conservation campaign that achieved water savings in various processes, such as brewing and packaging, with almost no additional investment.
Moreover, the company and its subsidiaries have increased investment in water reuse. Several breweries, including Urumqi, Wusu, Yinchuan, and Chongqing Dazhulin, have implemented wastewater reuse projects, with recycled water used for greenery, toilet flushing, and equipment cooling.
As a result, several other breweries are expected to follow suit this year, leading to significant water savings across the company.