Molson Canada – Energy Efficiency

Molson Canada ­–
Energy Efficiency
CASE STUDY
About MOLSON CANADA
Employee engagement efforts include electronic blogs and onsite
communications like this energy conservation poster.
With roots dating back to 1786, Molson
Canada is part of the Molson Coors
Brewing Company, which was formed
by the 2005 merger of equals of Molson
and Coors. As the nation’s pre-eminent
brewer, Molson Canada produces some
of the most popular brands in Canada
with an award-winning brand portfolio
that includes Molson Canadian, Coors
Light, Molson Export, Molson Dry and
Rickard’s. It also partners with other
leading brewers to offer such global
brands as Heineken, Corona, Miller
Genuine Draft, Foster’s Lager and
Tiger. Molson Canada employs 3,000
Canadians and operates six breweries,
including the boutique brewery
Creemore. Today, it is one of Canada’s
oldest consumer brand names and
North America’s oldest beer brand.
Location
Address: 33 Carlingview Dr., Etobicoke, Ontario
Phone: 416-679-1786
Website: www.molson.com
ENERGY EFFICIENCY —
Energy Management Program
Molson Canada believes in the importance of
saving energy to improve the environment and in
the competitive advantage of decreasing operating
Areas for cutting water use include Molson’s bottle
costs while appealing to energy-conscious consumers.
recycling area as well as its beer production.
For this reason, the company has set a target of a 5 per
cent per year reduction in its utility use. To achieve this, Molson launched its Energy Conservation
“Our people provide us the means to improve - they know where the opportunities are, they are in
control of the actual use and have the Power to Conserve. Our people will make the difference.”
CASE STUDY
Doug Dittburner, Chief Engineer and Energy Team Leader, Molson Canada
Program across all its Canadian breweries in May
2008 with the goal of engaging employees to make
small changes to conserve water, electricity, and
natural gas. These efforts have in turn sparked a
movement among Molson’s employees to increase
their conservation efforts and look for new ways
to reduce the company’s environmental footprint.
This internal program is part of Molson’s overall
goal to achieve 60 to 70 per cent of its energy
savings through its people and processes, with
the remaining 30 to 40 per cent reductions
from capital investments. The program includes
targets for reducing water and energy use in
the beer-making process and is supported by a
comprehensive communication plan designed
to raise employee awareness about their actions
and encourage a change of behaviors and culture
towards reducing wasted energy and water, at
the brewery and at home. This communication
plan includes activities such as utilizing Natural
Doug Dittburner, Chief Engineer and Energy Team Leader,
Resources Canada’s Dollars-to-Sense Training
shows a Partners in Project Green team member the
Programs, tree-plantings and community clean-up
Molson production line.
days, and Earth Hour, as well as communication
vehicles such as project boards and a Molson Community blog through which the corporation
communicates about and celebrates employee efforts.
Communicating that making small changes can lead to big results, Molson Canada encourages its
employees by showing how they have “The Power to Make a Difference.” The company advocates
conservation actions of all kinds, such as turning off a dripping tap, powering down idle machines,
or turning off lights and computers, and it tracks its progress, regularly communicates results, and
provides updates and conservation ideas to its workers.
In addition to capital investments, Molson’s employees have helped tipped the scale in making
significant reductions in its utility use. Between 2002 and 2008, Molson has achieved decreases of
39 per cent in natural gas use, 27 per cent in electricity use, and 36 per cent in water use. The Energy
Conservation Program’s success has been achieved through the company’s engagement of its Brewery
Management Team, the requirement of a 20 per cent time commitment of Energy Team Members’
schedules, and the enthusiasm of Molson employees to be a part of company-wide improvements.
Employee engagement accounts for at least half of Molson’s success in achieving its 5 per cent overall
annual reduction target and is helping make Molson Canada a more sustainable brewing company.