Overall competition winner from Anheuser-Busch receives two tickets to Super Bowl LIII

Recently, Anheuser-Busch announced the winner of its 2018 “How Much Water Can You Save” competition – Metal Container Corporation Arnold Can Plant. The announcement follows the launch in April of company‘s 2025 Sustainability Goals, as part of which, the brewer committed to ensuring 100% of facilities are engaged in water efficiency efforts.

The second annual competition, which launched earlier this year on World Water Day, challenged employees at each of Anheuser-Busch’s 45 facilities nationally to identify water-saving opportunities and then develop and implement their ideas. In total, 24 of the initiatives submitted have been implemented at facilities across the country, collectively saving over 92.8 million gallons of water – four times the amount saved through 2017’s competition.

The winning idea this year was submitted by John Allen, Technician at the Arnold Can Plant outside St Louis, Missouri. Allen closely studied each supply line and determined the exact type of valve equipment required to ensure lines provided the optimal amount of water needed for the can washer process, ultimately identifying almost 17 million gallons in annual water savings — equivalent to 32% of the plant’s overall annual water consumption.

“Whilst John has led numerous process improvements since he joined the plant in 1979, this innovation stands out as truly exceptional in the sheer volume of water it saves,” said Dave Taylor, Vice President of Supply at Anheuser-Busch.

“John’s ingenuity — and that of all the submissions for the “How Much Water Can You Save” competition — are great examples of our colleagues coming together to achieve our sustainability goals.”

Allen will receive two tickets to Super Bowl LIII, hosted in Atlanta, Georgia for the winning innovation.

“Working at Anheuser-Busch has always enabled me to think outside the box and drive real change,” said Allen. “Whilst the adjustment may seem small, it is making a big impact at our facility. The initiative is applicable at our other four can plants, and we are currently working to implement it as a best practice.”

As part of its ongoing commitment to being a good steward of the environment, Anheuser-Busch has reduced water usage across its major breweries by almost 50% over the past 10 years — the equivalent of 73 billion cans of beer — thanks to the innovations and contributions of colleagues, business partners and consumers.

Translate »