Better Together: The Next 10 Years of BIER-And Beyond
As Helen Keller so famously said: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
Since our inception in 2006, the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) has stayed true to this founding concept, with global beverage brands setting competition aside and coming together as an industry to advance environmental sustainability and value.
Together, we’ve tackled water stewardship by developing a living framework to guide beverage companies’ strategies, benchmarking studies, and toolkits. We’ve developed guidance for GHG emissions reporting, mapped the carbon footprints of common beverage types, and achieved major improvements in energy intensity. We’ve made a collective commitment to fight climate change and taken action.
And we’re just getting started.
With the participation of more than 60 environmental leaders from 18 beverage companies, consultancies, and associations, we’re focused on shaping the sustainable future of the beverage industry—and beyond. Our respective working groups are engaged in innovative projects, from working to enhance local water data access through basin collaborations to developing a future-focused roadmap for better carbon management.
Who are these environmental leaders taking collaborative action? Let us introduce you.
Meet Our Environmental Leaders & Member Brands
ABInBev
ABInBev is one of BIER’s founding member companies, and like every member, they bring incredibly experienced and insightful environmental experts to the table.
Representing ABInBev on BIER’s Steering Committee, co-leading the Water working group, and serving on the newly established Technology working group, as well as the Energy & Climate Change working group, is Global Water Director Andre Fourie. Andre has spent more than a decade doing sustainability work in the beverage industry, with an emphasis on implementing leading water stewardship principles and best practices.
In addition, Ezgi Barcenas, Senior Global Director of Corporate Sustainability, and Juan Rodriguez, Global Director of Environment and Safety, round out BIER’s ABInBev team, working within the Transparency & Disclosure, and Benchmarking working groups, respectively.
American Beverage Association
The American Beverage Association (ABA) has been a beverage industry presence for nearly 100 years. And Kate Krebs, ABA’s Senior Environmental Policy Advisor, has been in the sustainability scene for nearly four decades—spending the last five years with ABA.
As part of the BIER coalition, Kate brings her expertise to the Steering Committee, Water, and Public Relations & Communications working groups. Recognized as a visionary environmental leader, she provides invaluable insight from ABA’s environmental policy and technical work in the beverage industry. She also serves as a source of BIER best practice wisdom and program knowledge for ABA’s member beverage companies.
Bacardi Limited
Bacardi Limited is an iconic, family-owned company with a presence in more than 170 markets worldwide—which gives their Global Sustainability Director, Julio Torruella, wide-ranging insight in his 10-plus years leading Bacardi’s environmental sustainability initiatives.
As a BIER collaborator, he lends his technical focus and insight to several BIER working groups, including Water, Technology, and Benchmarking, as well as serving on the BIER Steering Committee. In addition, Julio co-facilitated our first Latin America Water Forum in 2017.
Also representing Bacardi’s knowledge and efforts within BIER, Amy Federman, Bacardi’s Director of Global Corporate Communications, brings more than 25 years of communications and media experience to the Public Relations & Communications working group.
Beam Suntory
Sustainability and responsibility are key to Beam Suntory’s business philosophy. The company joined BIER shortly after our 2006 launch, and Rick Price has been a constant presence ever since.
With a background in scientific research, engineering, and operations, Rick has been with Beam Suntory since 1997, holding several EHS positions over the years. He is currently the Director of Global Environment, Health & Safety. In addition to his role on BIER’s Steering Committee, he lends his expertise to our Water and Benchmarking working groups, and he serves as the communication liaison for connecting his EHS counterparts at the Suntory corporate headquarters in Japan.
Brown-Forman
Brown-Forman’s operations and markets span the globe—and the collective environmental expertise of their BIER representatives spans more than 120 years. Andy Battjes, Director of EH&S, represents his company and fellow cohorts on the Steering Committee. He’s also co-leader for the Water working group, as well as a valued contributor to the Energy & Climate working group. A leadership presence within BIER since Brown-Forman joined shortly after BIER’s inception, Andy has played a pivotal role in building the foundation of BIER’s performance in watershed context efforts. Other Brown-Forman environmental leaders who are an integral part of BIER include: Corden Porter, Environmental Performance & Safety Manager; Dan Naes, Director of Distillery Operations; Suzette Carty, Manager Environmental Sustainability; Jennifer O’Neil, Manager Corporate Responsibility; Rachel Nally, Environmental Senior Specialist; and Rob Frederick, Vice President Director of Corporate Responsibility.
Carlsberg Group
Like all our member companies, Carlsberg Group has ambitious sustainability aspirations – having launched their new program vision “Together Toward ZERO” in 2017. The company joined BIER in 2009 and Eskild Andersen has been with us ever since.
Eskild has been working in the food and beverage sector for two decades, spending the majority of his tenure with Carlsberg Group. Today, he’s the company’s Group Environmental Manager and serves as the Steering Committee representative to BIER. He also lends his insights to BIER’s Energy & Climate Change and Benchmarking working groups, and was a proud host of our spring 2018 BIER Roundtable meeting in Copenhagen.
Constellation Brands
Constellation Brands, like all our member companies, has an unwavering commitment to sustainability and responsibility—something that fuels their representatives’ work within BIER.
Meg Sternowski, Constellation’s Global Environmental Sustainability Manager (and Adjunct Instructor at the Rochester Institute of Technology), represents her company and co-workers on the BIER Steering Committee, as well as the Water and Benchmarking working groups. In addition, she serves as the lead for our Transparency & Disclosure working group, crafting a vision for the future of corporate reporting in the industry and beyond.
Along with Meg, Alvaro Canche, Sustainability Manager of the Beer Division, serves on the Water working group.
Diageo
Diageo is another founding member company that brings sustainability leaders with unique perspectives and expertise to the BIER consortium.
Michael Wilson, Global Environmental Sustainability Director, has been working in the food and beverage industry since 1988, holding multiple positions and gaining experience in technical management and supply chain innovation. He serves as Diageo’s Steering Committee representative, and shares his expertise with the Benchmarking and Technology working groups.
Michael Alexander, Global Head of Water, Environment, Agriculture Sustainability, is a leader with more than 20 years of experience in sustainability strategy development, implementation, and evaluation. He participates in BIER’s Water and Public Relations & Communications working groups.
HEINEKEN
“Brewing a Better World” is HEINEKEN’s motto, making the company and its environmental experts a welcome part of the BIER team.
Paul Bruijn, who is part of the BIER Steering Committee, leader for the Energy & Climate working group, and participant in the Benchmarking working group, started his environmental career back in 1989 as a HEINEKEN research scientist. He’s been with the company ever since and has grown into the role of Senior Global Lead for Safety and Environment. He also represents BIER and provides input into the European Commission’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) pilots.
Another long-time representative to BIER, Ron Bohlmeijer specializes in corporate water stewardship and water risk identification and mitigation. So, it’s no surprise that he is currently HEINEKEN’s Senior Global Water Leader and is part of the Water working group. He’s also signed on to be part of our Technology working group.
Jackson Family Wines
Accountability and authenticity are rooted in sustainability for Jackson Family Wines, making the company a great addition to BIER.
The company’s Julien Gervreau has more than a decade of experience in developing and implementing successful corporate social responsibility strategies in the beverage sector. As Jackson Family Wines’ Director of Sustainability, Julien oversees the strategic direction of his award-winning department—and brings his expertise and knowledge to BIER’s Water and Benchmarking working groups, as well as our Steering Committee.
Molson Coors and MillerCoors
Molson Coors and MillerCoors believe being a great brewer means being a great environmental steward—a sentiment all BIER members share.
Representing the company on the BIER Steering Committee and within the Water working group is Kim Marotta, Global Senior Director of Corporate Responsibility. She has nearly 15 years of corporate responsibility and sustainability experience in the beverage sector under her belt, plus 13 years as a trial attorney. Kim keeps her fingers on the pulse of sustainability and industry news, sharing her industry knowledge via a carefully curated weekly newsletter throughout Molson Coors and MillerCoors, in addition to her ongoing cross-department strategy and project collaboration.
In addition, several other Molson Coors and MillerCoors leaders are active in BIER including: Michael Glade, Director of International Water Resources and Real Estate; John Morgan, Global Sustainability Manager; Natalie Lau, Corporate Responsibility Manager; Gregory Miller, who works in energy management; Diane Wagner, who works in corporate responsibility communications; and Nicola Helfert, Corporate Responsibility Manager.
New Belgium Brewing Company
One of the largest independent craft brewers in North America, New Belgium Brewing Company joined BIER nearly a decade ago, bringing sustainability professionals with wide-ranging experiences to our coalition.
Katie Wallace, New Belgium's Assistant Director of Sustainability, lends her expertise in our Water working group. Dana Villeneuve, Sustainability Specialist, is a part of our Benchmarking working group and our recently created Technology working group.
Ocean Spray
Ocean Spray’s business is rooted in collaboration, so it’s no surprise that the company committed to driving collective innovation by joining BIER.
Cathy Resler is Ocean Spray’s Head of Global Sustainability, and has wide-ranging experience and education in the sustainability field. She brings unique insights to BIER, having served in varied sustainability and environmental science roles across multiple industries. Cathy is part of the BIER Steering Committee, as well as the Water, Transparency & Disclosure, and Benchmarking working groups.
In addition, Jennifer Rowe has come on board (to BIER and to Ocean Spray) to lend her insight.
PepsiCo
PepsiCo is another founding member company with a deep commitment to sustainability and brings
great talent and insight to the table.
Al Halvorsen, Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability, has been working on sustainability initiatives with PepsiCo since 1988. Since his work spans across multiple brand operations, Al brings both beverage and food industry insights to the table in his capacity as the company’s BIER Steering Committee representative. He also participates on the Benchmarking working group.
He’s joined by Karen Kennedy, Global Operations Sustainability Senior Manager; Richard Profit, Global Operations Sustainability Senior Manager; Carla White, Global Sustainability Analyst; and Erin Thomas, Sustainability Communications.
Pernod Ricard
Unsurprisingly, sustainability and responsibility are front and center for Pernod Ricard and the company joined BIER shortly after our 2006 inception.
Representing the company on the Steering Committee and the Benchmarking working group is Jean-Francois Roucou, the company’s Group Sustainable Performance Director. Jean-Francois brings more than 25 years of experience in the agroindustry, from risk management to sustainability strategy.
Other Pernod Ricard representatives, who boast 50 years of combined sustainability experience, include Carine Christophe, Group Environmental Manager; Danielle Kohler, Group Technical Coordinator; Julie Lejard, Sustainable Business Analyst; Julie Hernandez, Environmental Apprentice; and Florence Taron, Project Manager.
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is another founding member lending environmental expertise across all BIER working groups.
Among BIER representatives is Paul Bowen, Director of Wastewater, Environment & Sustainability (and one of the founding idea-originators behind BIER). Paul is incredibly well-known in the field for his water stewardship advocacy and work, and he brings his unique interest and technical expertise in wastewater, innovative technologies and more to his participation on the BIER Steering Committee, as well as the Water and Technology working groups.
Other company experts include: Geert Huysmans, Global Sustainability Manager, Climate Protection; Jamal Booker, Reporting Manager, Business Integration; Shagonda Green, Senior Governance Manager, Business Integration; Serena Levy, Stakeholder Engagement Leader; and Mauricio Chavarria, Senior Manager of Global Corporate Communications.
The BIER Team from Antea Group
Antea Group’s team has facilitated the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable’s work since BIER’s inception in 2006.
Nick Martin, BIER’s long-time Associate Director (and now Executive Director), is a water stewardship expert with over fifteen years of experience in environmental sustainability issues. In addition to his work facilitating the Water working group and Steering Committee for BIER, Nick serves as the Sustainability Practice Leader for Antea Group and works with clients across industries to support and manage their sustainability-related business risks and opportunities. He also has previous experience working in the nonprofit sector and the Peace Corps.
Other company experts include: Laura Nelson, Consultant and Corporate Reporting Leader at Antea Group, who manages BIER’s Benchmarking and Transparency & Disclosure working groups; and Margaret Uttke, Consultant and Solutions Marketing Director at Antea Group, who serves as BIER’s Membership and Communications Director.
Cheers to the Next 10 Years—and Beyond
The great sustainability challenges our world and industry faces are complex and ever-changing. But together we’re tackling those challenges. Stay tuned for more details on the work we’ve been doing, as well as hear from our experienced environmental leaders on key lessons learned from their work today and future trends they see on the sustainability horizon tomorrow.
Learn more about our groundbreaking work by visiting our Work page.
