AB InBev trials LNG-fuelled deliveries for UK brewery

According to IVECO

AB InBev, which owns brands including Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck’s, is set to trial LNG deliveries out of its Samlesbury brewery in Lancashire over the next two weeks. In a first for the company’s UK breweries, the LNG trial will aim to reduce CO2, Particulate Matter, Nitrogen Oxide and noise emissions.

The low-carbon fuel will be used by IVECO Strailis NP trucks provided by transport firm H Parkinson Haulage (HPH). The vehicle offers a 15% improvement in fuel consumption and can carry up to 1,560 cases of beer at full capacity. The two-week trial will be closely monitored by AB InBev and HPH to quantify environmental savings.

The project aligns to AB InBev’s ambition to reduce value chain emissions by 25% by in the next six years, as outlined by the firm’s 2025 Sustainability Goals. The 25% carbon reduction has been submitted through the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), and covers scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

Samlesbury’s brewery manager, Stanislav Chulkov said: “We are delighted that Samlesbury is the chosen location to trial the pioneering sustainable technology, in a first for AB InBev in the UK. We are constantly looking for new ways to improve the efficiency of our operations and make better use of our resources, so we hope that the LNG trial is another step towards reducing our carbon footprint and meeting our 2025 Sustainability Goals.”

Never Felt Better

The fuel efficiency drive in the UK mirrors efforts to date to champion low-carbon deliveries elsewhere – notably through the order of 800 hydrogen-powered trucks.

AB InBev is placing a renewable electricity label on any Budweiser beer that has been brewed using 100% renewable electricity. This includes beer produced in the UK.

Last weekend, the company used its advertising at the Super Bowl to champion renewable energy. Its 2019 advert is called “Wind Never Felt Better,” and shows a Dalmatian riding a beet wagon. Midway through the short film, the camera pans out to reveal that the dog is being transported through an onshore wind farm, before the phrase “now brewed with wind power, for a better tomorrow” appears on screen.

AB InBev has already saved £46.5m in the past four years through energy-efficiency improvements, and is launching a new innovation programme aimed at solving more than 100 sustainability challenges by 2025.

Matt Mace