Beer company Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) has donated about 25,000 litres of water to drought-affected areas through the Water on Wheels program in collaboration with transport company, McColl’s.
Water on Wheels brings specially-treated recycled water left over from CUB’s Yatala plant to farms where it can be used to water crops and livestock in the ongoing drought. The program delivered the recycled water to farms located within 50 km of the Newell or Pacific highways in Queensland and NSW.
“This is the worst drought we have experienced in history. We haven’t had rain for a couple of years, and it’s heartbreaking to see the effect that is having on this region. The last real significant rain we had was in March 2017, and many people are doing it tough as a result. We really appreciate what CUB and McColl’s are doing to help people in our community,” Southern Downs mayor Tracy Dobie said.
Dobie said that the dam levels in the region are very low and Stanthorpe could run out of water by the end of December if it doesn’t rain.
CUB’s Queensland sales director Mick McKeown said the initiative is about supporting the regional Australian communities that have always supported CUB.
“We have the water and McColls has the transport network, so it makes perfect sense for us to focus some of our disaster relief efforts on an initiative like this,” McKeown said.
He said the program is currently on a trial run as they work with Granite Belt Drought Assist and other organisations to know which farms need water and who are located within 50km of the Newell or Pacific highways.
Granite Belt Drought Assist will help coordinate the farmers who receive the water.A
Meanwhile, CUB’s soon-to-be owner, Asahi Group has committed to being carbon zero by 2050.
Asahi Beverages has pledged to use of 100 per cent renewable electricity across its operations in Australia and New Zealand by 2025.
“Achieving this outcome is important to us, and we are working towards this via various means, which will also include 100 per cent renewable energy,” Asahi Beverages chairman, Peter Margin said.
“Moving towards 100 per cent renewable energy is the right thing for us as a major manufacturer. We have been working on a plan to do this as part of our overall sustainability agenda. It’s a step further in the right direction towards achieving zero carbon emissions.”
