In what has become a tradition in excellence, International Breweries Plc. (IB Plc.), a proud member of ABInBev, the world’s largest brewer, has again been recognized and awarded the best company in Environmental Sustainability. This time, the recognition came at the recently concluded Lagos PR Industry Gala and Awards otherwise known as LAPRIGA.
At the glamorous event, organized by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in Lagos, the company was recognized and rewarded for its initiatives in providing potable water as well as clean and affordable energy; fostering climate action and enhancing goals for economic growth and health.
The Lagos PR Industry Gala and Awards is a high-profile red bow-tie event, which has grown to become the PR industry’s ‘Oscars’ for recognizing excellence and celebrating practitioners, corporates as well as stakeholders, while boosting professionalism and investment in the Public Relations space.
This recent LAPRIGA Award is coming just a few weeks after the company had emerged the Best Company in the Provision of Clean and Affordable Energy at the 13th edition of the SERAS CSR Awards Africa in Lagos. International Breweries Plc. is the first brewery in Nigeria to use solar energy to power its operations, and for this reason is setting a new standard in environmental sustainability.
It is noteworthy that the company was also nominated in other categories of the SERAS Awards such as ‘Best Company in Poverty Eradication’, ‘SERAS Innovation Prize’, ‘Best Company in Provision of Water and Sanitation’ and the ‘Best New Entry’.
Speaking on the recognitions and awards, the Legal and Corporate Affairs Director, International Breweries Plc, Otunba Michael Daramola said “We are elated to be the recipient of these awards, which recognize our modest efforts to live up to our overarching vision as a company: Bringing People Together for a Better World. As a responsible company, we will continue to cultivate sustainability practices in order to continue to contribute to the development of Nigeria and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals while also minimizing negative impact on the environment from our operations”.
Otunba Daramola also noted that 2019 has been a remarkable year for the company in the different environmental and socio-economic investments undertaken by it across its plant operations, the Kickstart entrepreneurial initiative and the formal launch of its Employee Volunteering platform, called Better World Champions.
According to Daramola, “International Breweries employees have spent over 3,200 volunteering hours in 2019 to carry out various intervention programmes in Empowerment, Education, Health, Responsible Drinking and Community Development support across its operations in Lagos, Onitsha, Ilesa, Port Harcourt and its Gateway Plant in Ogun State”. Daramola concluded that 19,601 direct and indirect beneficiaries have gained from the impact of the volunteering initiatives.
International Breweries’ Gateway Brewery, which is located in Ogun State, utilizes renewable energy through its 150kWp Grid Tied Solar Power System (first phase) that supplies part of the plant’s electricity and helps to defray some of the production costs. There are plans to expand the solar grid in subsequent phases of the brewery expansion project as the entire brewery roofs by design are solar ready. The combined heat and power system makes the plant one of the most energy efficient breweries in the ABInBev Africa group.
In line with the well-defined sustainability policy of the larger ABInBev group, International Breweries Plc. has ambitious 2025 Sustainability Goals. These goals include engendering smart agriculture to ensure the best ingredients for its brews. Currently, a significant portion of its raw materials is sourced locally, thus boosting the production of such materials. Also, the company provides potable water through the donation of solar-powered boreholes and health facilities to its host communities; uses recycled materials for packaging, and embraces climate actions to reduce greenhouse emissions.
On waste management, the brewery operates a strict adherence to 100% segregation of waste, treatment of effluents and recycling of bottles and by-products. Its valuable and uncontaminated products such as spent grains are sold at cheap rates to the communities for animal farming. This gesture is a form of empowering the company’s communities and forms part of the company’s objective to empower its host communities.
