Exposing corporate energy liars: Budweiser

Budweiser claims its beers are "100% renewable." In fact, most of the energy that goes into its beer is fossil fuel.

Thanks to a combination of ESG pressures and status-seeking, hundreds of prominent companies today effectively lie to the public about their current energy use and planned energy use.

This lying is bad not only because it involves winning customers via deception (the essence of fraud) but because it helps promote the dangerous idea that “100% renewable” or “carbon neutral” is possible and desirable--when in reality it is impossible, and dangerous to try.

This exposé of Budweiser’s “100"% renewable” energy lies is the first of many planned exposés of corporate energy liars. I’m going to keep exposing these liars until the lying—and its terrible influence—stops.

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Budweiser claims its beers are "100% renewable." In fact, most of the energy that goes into its beer is fossil fuel.

Learn how Budweiser is lying about its energy use and why that's so damaging--then join me in calling for a public apology. [Tweet this] [Email this]

• Today's Budweiser cans and Budweiser ads are plastered with logos saying "100% renewable electricity"--leading customers to think that if they drink Budweiser they are not using any fossil fuel. But in reality most of the energy that goes into a Bud is fossil fuel. [Tweet this] [Email this]

  

• When you drink a Budweiser beer you are indirectly using energy in many ways: mining for aluminum, manufacturing cans, farming hops, brewing beer, transporting beer, and refrigeration. Most of this energy comes from fossil fuels. How can Bud claim "100% renewable"? Deception. [Tweet this] [Email this]

• Budweiser falsely advertises its beers as "100% renewable" through 3 deceptions.
  1. Only counting brewing—a small % of beer’s energy use.
  2. Only counting the fraction of brewing energy that comes from electricity.
  3. Falsely labeling its fossil fuel electricity as "renewable." [Tweet this] [Email this]

  

• Budweiser deception 1: Only counting brewing—a small % of beer’s energy use When we see a "100% renewable electricity" label, we think the whole product was made using renewable electricity. But Budweiser only counts *brewing*--just 10% of the overall energy used in a beer!¹ [Tweet this] [Email this]

  

• Budweiser deception 2: Only counting the fraction of brewing energy that comes from electricity. When we read “brewed with 100% renewable electricity,” we think that no fossil fuel was used in brewing. But most energy used in Bud’s brewing is heat, usually from natural gas!² [Tweet this] [Email this]

  

• How many of Budweiser's customers reading a "brewed with 100% renewable electricity" label have any idea that most of the brewing is being done using fossil fuels--including this natural gas facility in Jacksonville that Budweiser uses? [Tweet this] [Email this]

  

• Budweiser deception 3: Falsely labeling its fossil fuel electricity as "renewable." On top of deceiving customers by only focusing on brewing, and ignoring all the fossil fuel energy used in brewing, Budweiser is also deceiving customers even about its 10% brewing electricity.³ [Tweet this] [Email this]

• Budweiser beer is brewed in many places, such as Houston, TX, where over 50% of the electricity comes from fossil fuels. Budweiser literally pays utilities to give them credit for others’ renewable electricity and give others the blame for Bud’s nonrenewable electricity!⁴ [Tweet this] [Email this]

  

• An example of deceiving the public through "renewable electricity credits": Budweiser's "brewed using 100% renewable electricity" claim includes wind electricity near Billings, OK--even though no Budweiser beer is brewed in Oklahoma!⁵ [Tweet this] [Email this]

• Budweiser’s ubiquitous “100% renewable electricity” labeling of its beers—which ignores most of its energy use, ignores most of its brewing energy, and falsely claims credits for others’ renewable electricity—absolutely qualifies as lying to the public and must be stopped. [Tweet this] [Email this]

• Budweiser's energy lying is bad not only because it involves winning customers via deception (the essence of fraud) but because it helps promote the dangerous idea that "100% renewable electricity" is possible and desirable--when in reality it is impossible, and dangerous to try. [Tweet this] [Email this]

• One other negative consequence of Budweiser’s “100% renewable” focus is that it discriminates against nuclear energy—a form of non-carbon energy has has far more promising long-term potential than “renewable” solar and wind. [Tweet this] [Email this]

• The biggest victims of anti-fossil fuel, anti-nuclear lies about “100% renewable” are poor people—both the poor in the US who are most harmed by rising energy prices, and above all impoverished people around the world who need fossil fuels to develop.⁶ [Tweet this] [Email this]

• Budweiser’s lying about being 100% renewable, and its support of anti-fossil fuel, anti-nuclear policies is particularly shameful given that Budweiser's leaders, including its Board members, like all wealthy people, directly and indirectly use huge amounts of fossil fuel. [Tweet this] [Email this]

• Consider Jorge Paulo Lemann, the controlling shareholder of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the parent company of Budweiser. He sanctions Bud's "100% renewable" propaganda yet owns several private jets and a large yacht called the "Anawa," while living in a fossil fueled mega-mansion.⁷ [Tweet this] [Email this]

  

• Budweiser needs to apologize for its energy lying, remove all “100% renewable electricity” messaging, and publicly acknowledge the vital role of fossil fuels and nuclear power. Tell Budweiser to do this by tweeting at @budweiserusa and Sustainability Officer @EzgiBarcenas. [Tweet this] [Email this]

1. Amienyo, D., Azapagic, A. Life cycle environmental impacts and costs of beer production and consumption in the UK. Int J Life Cycle Assess 21, 492–509 (2016)

2. Brewers Association - Energy Usage, GHG Reduction, Efficiency and Load Management Manual, p. 7

3. Amienyo, D., Azapagic, A. Life cycle environmental impacts and costs of beer production and consumption in the UK. Int J Life Cycle Assess 21, 492–509 (2016)

4. Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)

5. Anheuser-Busch - PROUDLY BREWED WITH 100% RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY*

6. Alex Epstein - Talking Points on Energy Poverty

7. Superyacht Fan - JORGE PAULO LEMANN • Net Worth $16 Billion • House • Yacht • Private Jet • 3G Capital