Irresponsible alcohol drinking and selling harm the society in many ways. Drunken driving, consuming alcohol during pregnancy or breast-feeding, selling alcohol to minors are some phenomena which SABMiller Group attempts to counteract. In Poland the program “Alcohol – Minors Keep Out", aimed at limiting beer sales to underage consumers, proved extremely successful. "Alkohol - Nieletnim Wstęp Wzbroniony", mający na celu ograniczenie sprzedaży piwa nieletnim konsumentom.

Sweet water is an invaluable resource not only in Africa. Various initiatives have been undertaken to limit water consumption per hectolitre of beer. For example, Kompania Piwowarska recycles water used to bottle washing to further use it for rinsing crates. Water consumption in SABMiller Group has been down to 4.75 l/hl while the industry’s average amounts to 5.0 l.

Energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions are no longer mere subjects of scientific theories. By applying tax tools and emissions-related fees, governments exert pressure to introduce appropriate solutions. For example, SABMiller Group is launching energy recovery systems and energy recycling, including energy from waste treatment. Energy from renewable sources like solar energy, biomass and biogases has been under scrutiny. One of the breweries in South Africa has been running a program aimed at limiting energy consumption by 10%..

As a result of social and economic pressure efforts are made to reuse and recycle packaging within the whole supply chain, both on the suppliers’ and packaging users’ side. For example, SABMiller has made it possible to purchase non-returnable bottles from consumers in Africa. Miller has also employed a lighter PET bottle and replaced the aluminium cap with a polypropylene one.

SABMiller Group strives to work towards zero waste of any substances and materials in production, transport, marketing and sales. Some wastes are handed out, free of charge, to farmers and companies for reuse. Wherever waste cannot be avoided it is removed from the site and treated by specialist companies.

Responsible and effective operations of partners in the supply chain should result in cost reduction, enhanced quality and competitive advantage and contribute to Sustainable Development. With this in mind, SABMiller has been watching standards applied by the suppliers, supports and encourages to be responsible in business, especially in the realm of ethical and environmental practices. Social, economic and environmental initiatives have been launched. For example, SAB assists wronged South African citizens in starting up farming or economic operations by ensuring financial, training and consultancy support. The Group resorts to local supplies rather than import raw materials and puts emphasis on the suppliers’ compliance with ethical standards in business.

The Group conforms to general standards of conduct in line with the corporate values. However, a global company is facing the challenge of respecting diverse cultures and laws, hence flexibility is in demand. In countries where human rights are not respected we make every effort to avoid similar practices in our business operations. Depending on social needs, various activities are employed. In Honduras a program has been launched to eliminate employment of children in sugar cane fields. In the Czech Republic a “One World” film festival is organized to promote respect for human rights.

Kompania Piwowarska/SABMiller position paper on human rights
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To a large extent market success depends on the welfare of a society including not only the clients but also suppliers and employees. All initiatives contributing to social prosperity make sense from the economic point of view. We do not expect direct return on Corporate Social Investment (CSI) as it does not relate directly to sales of products. Activities launched in Africa and India are aimed at supporting health awareness and medical care. In Europe non-governmental organizations and institutions are financed as part of CSI programs.

HIV/AIDS inflicts the diseased, their families and the whole society. As a result a company needs to cope with shortages of qualified employees, the disease and a low level of the employees’ and clients’ welfare. The HIV/AIDS pandemic inflicts primarily Africa but its development in other countries poses another important problem. SABMiller has been involved in the realm of prophylactic, medical tests co-financing, taking care of the employees and individuals directly supported by them. SABMiller also co-operates with governmental and non-governmental organizations and organizes open medical centres for everyone.

Companies, especially public companies are more and more frequently expected to report on their Sustainable Development. When drawing its reports, SABMiller consults external partners interested in the Group’s operations. Global non-governmental organizations or academic circles assist in shaping our future activities; strategies and plans for Sustainable Development are discussed. The reports, developed by the Group companies, are subject to evaluation by independent experts. The evaluations results are published next to the reports on the Group’s websites.