Ursus Breweries Invests 2 Million Euros in Sustainable Energy Recovery Facility in Buzău

Ursus Breweries has made a 2 million euro investment in a facility that utilizes energy-efficient technologies to recover thermal energy from burned gases at its brewery in Buzău. This facility represents a special project within the Asahi Group and is part of Ursus Breweries’ existing sustainability investment strategy.

The technology involves the recovery of energy from the burned gases generated in the brewery’s thermal plant. To identify this innovative technical solution, Ursus Breweries collaborated with sustainability experts from Asahi Europe & International and suppliers with relevant international expertise. By implementing the thermal energy recovery system, it is estimated that natural gas consumption will decrease by approximately 18%, resulting in a reduction in associated carbon dioxide emissions.

“As a result of the investments made so far, Ursus Breweries’ carbon emissions have decreased to 50% of the 2019 reference year in 2022. And we don’t stop here: the investment in Buzău was successfully completed this summer and represents a step forward on the path we’ve committed to for zero carbon emissions in our factories. Thanks to this investment, we will manage to reduce natural gas consumption by 18% and our carbon footprint,” said Robert Uzună, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Ursus Breweries.

Ursus Breweries constantly undertakes sustainability projects with six major objectives and areas of intervention: reducing carbon emissions, reducing water consumption, using raw materials from sustainable sources, using reusable and recyclable packaging, supporting inclusion and well-being, and promoting responsible alcohol consumption.

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The investment in the Buzău factory is just one of the energy consumption reduction projects carried out by Ursus Breweries. All the company’s sustainability projects are described in the seventh and most recent Sustainable Development Report for the period 2021-2022.

As a significant economic actor and leader in Romania’s beer market, Ursus Breweries contributed 567 million lei to the state budget in 2022, establishing itself as a trusted partner of the authorities.

Reducing Carbon Emissions

Ursus Breweries reduced its carbon emissions to 50% of the 2019 reference year in 2022. To achieve this reduction, Ursus Breweries installed consumption reduction equipment, such as LED lighting, automated processes, replaced natural gas in certain processes with biogas produced at wastewater treatment plants in its factories, recovered thermal energy from various processes using a new facility, and replaced condensate recovery systems with improved performance options.

Ursus Breweries completed the purchase of electric forklifts to replace those powered by LPG and initiated the purchase of vehicles with lower carbon emissions. Additionally, there is an ongoing plan to gradually replace refrigerators to increase energy efficiency, with 4,800 low-energy refrigerators replaced in 2021 and 2022. Moreover, in 2022, Ursus Breweries purchased 100% of the electricity for its factories from renewable sources.

Reducing Water Consumption

More than half of the water used in the Buzău, Brașov, and Timișoara factories comes from its own wells, and each brewery has its consumption targets. Ursus Breweries already has high water consumption efficiency in the beer industry, and the company’s goal is to reduce the average consumption from 2.77 liters in 2022 to 2.75 liters of water per liter of bottled beer by 2025. Furthermore, the company uses its water treatment plants before the water enters the internal circuit, and wastewater is treated in its own wastewater treatment plants.

Using Reusable and Recyclable Packaging

Ursus Breweries has reduced the amount of materials used in packaging, using 24% less plastic compared to the 2019 reference year. Additionally, 100% recycled material is used for the cardboard boxes and trays for cans. The goal is for the company to use primary and secondary packaging that can be reused or recycled and contains at least 50% recycled material by 2030.

Inclusion and Well-being

Due to its focus on employees, Ursus Breweries obtained the Top Employer Romania certification for three consecutive years (2021, 2022, 2023) from a reputable European institute. Ursus Breweries is also the first beer producer in Romania to sign the commitment of the LEAD Network (Leading Executives Advancing Diversity) organization to build an inclusive organizational culture based on diversity and gender equality. In this regard, approximately 46% of management positions in the company are held by women. Additionally, in 2022, the company signed the Diversity Charter of Romania and formed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. As active supporters of gender balance, Ursus Breweries’ target is for women and men to have equal representation in management positions by 2030.

Responsible Alcohol Consumption

Ursus Breweries continued to innovate and develop its portfolio of alcohol-free or low-alcohol products. The company’s goal is for 20% of its portfolio to consist of alcohol-free products by 2030. Currently, all labels of Ursus Breweries products, as well as all commercial communication materials, include messages promoting responsible consumption.

Moreover, Ursus Breweries runs campaigns dedicated to reducing irresponsible alcohol consumption among adults and preventing alcohol consumption among minors. In this regard, continuing its long-standing partnership with the Federation of Non-Governmental Organizations for Children (FONPC), over 2,800 parents and education professionals have directly benefited from the program for preventing alcohol consumption among minors.

Additionally, Ursus Breweries continued its partnership with the Romanian Police and conducted a sociological research titled “Social Attitudes Regarding Traffic Risk 2022”, with the aim of increasing drivers’ awareness of the risks associated with alcohol consumption while driving. Ursus Breweries also updated the Zero la Mie mobile application, which allows users to find out the estimated time for their blood alcohol level to return to zero.

The achievements and progress of Ursus Breweries in the field of sustainable development have been published in the most recent Sustainability Report, which can be accessed here.