SOURCE: Molson Coors Brewing Company
September 17, 2008 10:00 ET
Molson Coors Brewing Company Signs the United Nations CEO Water Mandate
CEO Peter Swinburn Announces Molson Coors Commitment to Water Stewardship During Keynote Address at the Tremblant Forum
DENVER, CO and MONTREAL--(Marketwire - September 17, 2008) - Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE: TAP) (TSX: TAP) today announced the endorsement of the United Nations' CEO
Water Mandate by Peter Swinburn, CEO of Molson Coors. Swinburn addressed
the Tremblant Forum on Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability in Mont
Tremblant, Quebec, with a keynote speech on Molson Coors' approach to
corporate responsibility.
The endorsement supports Molson Coors' commitment to water stewardship and
sustainability. The CEO Water Mandate was established in 2007 by a group of
chief executive officers in association with the UN Global Compact and the
Government of Sweden. The CEO Water Mandate is a call to action and a
framework for businesses to address water sustainability in their
operations and supply chain.
"Water is a precious resource that we must safeguard. Over one billion
people do not have access to safe water. Our commitment to the CEO Water
Mandate means that we take our role in water stewardship seriously. Our
endorsement will become part of the company's water strategy and how we
conduct our business around the world," said Peter Swinburn, CEO of Molson
Coors.
Water accounts for approximately 90 percent of all beer composition, making
pure and clean water a necessity for the brewing process. This requirement
for the best water available has inspired Molson Coors to implement
procedures to use water more wisely. Examples include a scorecard system at
all Molson Coors breweries to identify ways in which the company can use
less water. In Canada, Molson has reduced its water use by 12.4 percent
over the last four years through the creation of energy teams in each
brewery to implement conservation projects, water use education for
employees, and an energy reduction week aimed at heightening awareness.
U.K.-based Coors Brewers Ltd. achieved a 14 percent water use reduction in
2007. For 2008, Molson Coors set a rolling global target to reduce its
overall water usage by four percent.
Molson Coors is a longstanding and active member of the Beverage Industry
Environmental Roundtable (BIER) where global beverage companies work
together to advance water conservation and resource protection
(http://bieroundtable.com/). In the U.S. market, the company has
established partnerships with organizations focused on regional water
resource management. In partnership with the Clear Creek Watershed
Foundation and the Shenandoah Valley Pure Water Forum, the company supports
water conservation projects near its brewery operations.
Swinburn's speech reinforced the importance of corporate responsibility as
an integral part of the Molson Coors business. There are five areas of
focus: governance and ethical performance, alcohol responsibility,
environmental stewardship, community and employee engagement, and extending
best practices throughout the supply chain. For more information about
Molson Coors and its corporate responsibility program, please visit
www.molsoncoors.com/responsibility.
About Molson Coors Brewing Company:
Molson Coors Brewing Company is one of the world's largest brewers. It
brews, markets and sells a portfolio of leading premium quality brands such
as Coors Light, Molson Canadian, Molson Dry, Carling, Coors, and Keystone
Light in North America, Europe and Asia. It operates in Canada, through
Molson Canada; in the US, through the MillerCoors joint venture; in the
U.K. and Ireland, through Coors Brewers Limited. For more information on
Molson Coors Brewing Company, visit the company's Web site,
www.molsoncoors.com.
About The United Nations CEO Water Mandate
The CEO Water Mandate is an initiative developed in partnership between the
United Nations Global Compact, the Government of Sweden and a group of
committed companies and specialized organizations dealing with the problems
of water scarcity and sanitation. It is designed as a private-public
initiative with a focus on developing strategies and solutions to
contribute positively to the emerging global water crisis.
The CEO Water Mandate seeks to engage a critical mass of companies from
around the world, willing to undertake serious efforts, in partnership with
other stakeholders, to address this challenge. Whenever possible, this
initiative will coordinate efforts and work with existing water programs --
both global and local -- in order to maximize impact.
More information about the CEO Water Mandate can be found at:
www.unglobalcompact.org/Issues/Environment/Water_sustainability/index.html
More information about the Tremblant Forum on Corporate Responsibility and
Sustainability can be found at:
www.tremblantforum.org