East African Breweries Ltd (EABL) has invested more than Sh5 billion in a biomass plant as part of its transition to renewable energy.
EABL managing director - Jane Karuku said the biomass plant would help the brewer achieve a net-zero status and reduce its carbon emission by 48,000 tonnes annually.
A net-zero status is a balance between the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere.
“Among other sustainability efforts, we have recently invested in a new Sh5 billion biomass plant, one of the biggest in the region and its completion will help us to achieve net-zero status reducing our carbon emissions by 48,000 tonnes annually,” she said.
Ms Karuku added that EABL has facilitated more than a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the last two years in its switch to low carbon emissions. Diageo, EABL’s parent company, had announced in 2019 an investment of Sh22 billion in renewable energy across EABL’s brewing sites to deliver new solar energy, biomass power and water recovery processes.
“In addition, water stewardship is a long-standing strategic priority and our goal in Kenya is to replenish 1.6 million cubic metres by 2026 across all three of our sites in Kenya,” added Ms Karuku.
EABL has also committed Sh100 million in partnership with the state, to save elephants in Kenya. “Conservation is deeply stitched in EABL’s history. Elephants are also core to Tusker, our iconic beer brand. We believe this is one of the biggest single investments in addressing conservation efforts and will go a long way in saving these animals currently facing the biggest threat due to poaching,” said Ms Karuku.
As part of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda, the firm also aims to plant over two million trees by 2030.
EABL invests Sh5b in biomass plant
