The South African Breweries (SAB) has announced its targeted approach towards building strong South African communities and to ensure a prosperous future for all, which it plans to achieve through a new, global sustainable development framework called Prosper.

The framework highlights tangible targets to be achieved by the company over the next five years in the areas of responsible alcohol consumption, securing water resources, reducing waste and carbon emissions, supporting small enterprises, including emerging farmers, and the support of responsible and sustainable land use for brewing crops.

Prosper is a global SABMiller sustainable development approach, with SAB in South African honing in on those challenges facing the country.

“SAB believes that its success as a business is linked to that of the communities in which it operates and is therefore acutely aware of its impact on them. As a leading corporate citizen, SAB is committed to working with its partners, NGO’s and government in tackling the challenges which face society to ensure a prosperous future for all,” says Monwabisi Fandeso, SAB Director Corporate Affairs and Transformation.

Prosper is SAB’s evolved approach to sustainable development. Several years ago, SAB initiated its Ten Sustainable Development priorities providing a clear framework to help the company deal effectively with risks and identify opportunities for the business and local communities. The key focus was on water, energy and carbon. Through targeted initiatives in these focus areas SAB moved from using 4.5 litres of water per litre of beer to 3.6 litres of water and reduced its carbon footprint by 16% in the manufacturing process.

Prosper, which integrates the Ten Priorities into five shared imperatives, is a step change, committing SAB to publically stated targets rather than being selective in its sustainable development focus.

“Prosper is a holistic approach to sustainable development and it is indicative of the kind of world that SAB wants to contribute towards. In South Africa, we made it our own and honed in on those issues which impact our country, our communities and our business,” says Monwabisi.

The five shared imperatives of Prosper are:

- A Sociable World in which one endeavours to make beer the natural choice for the moderate and responsible drinker through effective communication campaigns; support of responsible retail practices, road safety awareness and enforcement, including drinking and driving; and reduce underage drinking.

SAB will train more than 25 000 liquor traders in responsible retail practices through its Responsible Trader Programme (RTP), encourage behavioural and attitudinal change amongst men on social issues by means of the SAB Tavern Intervention Programme for Men (TIP) and through its 18+ campaign, call on adults to become role models in the fight against underage drinking. The You Decide roadshow will continue educating teenagers about the dangers and consequences of underage drinking. In terms of road safety awareness and discouraging drinking and driving, SAB has sponsored the establishment of 15 Alcohol Evidence Centres across South Africa at a cost of R1-million each. FAS programme to discourage alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

- A Resilient World where one will secure shared water resources for business and local communities. SAB will strengthen its CSI water projects, particularly to contribute towards community water security. They will continue to support and participate in the Strategic Water Partners Network (SWPN), as SAB believes that it is only through collective action and effective partnerships are y going to secure this critical resource. SAB also aims to reduce its water use to 2.89 per litre of beer by 2020 within the manufacturing process and implement programmes to mitigate shared water risks for key crops such as hops and barley

- A Clean World in which waste and carbon emissions will be reduced within the business and across the agricultural value chain and distribution network, as well as divert a high proportion of brewery waste from landfill and create new value from waste. SAB has committed to a 30% total value chain carbon footprint reduction by 2020, while also continuing to reduce the amount of waste that end up in landfills.

- A Thriving World in which one will accelerate growth and social development through the value chains by supporting more than 30 000 small enterprises through the flagship youth entrepreneurship development programme, SAB KickStart, the Customer Business Development Programme (CBD), distribution development programmes like the Owner Driver Scheme and in the agricultural sector through support of emerging famers.

- A Productive World in which one will support responsible, sustainable use of land for brewing crops by creating secure, sustainable supply chains and by helping small-scale farmers increase profitability, production and social development. SAB aims to strengthen the Go Farming initiative, through which they will increase local sourcing of agricultural inputs, particularly from emerging farmers. Together with our partners, they will continue to promote sustainable farming practices through programmes like Better Barley Better Beer.