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On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Thursday held the CII-AB InBev session on Public Private Partnership for Livelihood and Sustainable Ecosystem. Anheuser-Busch InBev, commonly known as AB InBev, is a Belgian multinational brewing company and is the largest brewer in the world. AB InBev has joined governments and policymakers to drive sustainable impact in support of the SDGs.
The UN General Assembly adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 through a resolution known as the 2030 Agenda. The 17 SDGs and their 169 defined targets address various issues, including poverty and hunger, sanitation and clean water, energy, employment, economic growth, innovation and infrastructure, inequalities, climate change, terrestrial and aquatic life, the role of governments, and cooperation between institutions. Speaking at the session R Dinesh, President, CII & Chairman, TVS Supply Chain Solutions said that sustainability must be included in various livelihood businesses. "There are many good examples of public-private partnerships in India such as Digital Public Infrastructure, #GatiShakti, and others. Allocation of 2% of corporate profits for CSR has worked well. We need to make sure that sustainability is included in various livelihood businesses. - R Dinesh, President, CII & Chairman, TVSSCS said. John Blood, Global Chief Legal & Corporate Affairs Officer and Company Secretary Anheuser-Busch InBev said that brewing has an impact across the value chain. "Beer is a golden liquid but it represents thousands of farmers. It has an economic impact across the value chain. Brewing is local and 1 in 10 workers globally are in the industry" John Blood said. AB InBev's initiatives align with the SDGs on responsible production, promoting sustainable agriculture, and increasing incomes. The aim is also to improve farmers' lives by driving upskilling, implementing digitisation, and financially empowering farming communities. AB InBev's farmer development programs provide training, digital tools and access to financing needed to grow their businesses, and opportunities to learn regenerative agriculture practices that can improve soil health and biodiversity. Speaking at the session, Arnold Puech d Alissac, President World Farmers Organisation said that there was a need to transform the way we work together. "According to leaders from the farming community, the biggest worry is the lack of an efficient multilateral approach. If we want to transform the food system to be more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive, we need to first transform the way we work together" he said. MB Patil Minister for Heavy and Medium Industries, Karnataka said that the state was taking intiatives in water treament which could gain from larger initiatives. "Untreated sewage water affects the land and farming. There are small initiatives for treating the water and making energy from the sludge that can help apart from larger initiatives" MB Patil said during the discussion. The Karnataka Minister also met Karthikeya Sharma, President of India and South Asia AB InBev at Davos. The potential investment of USD 50 million by the brewing major in the state was discussed during this meeting. According to a statement from the Minister the GCC centre in Bengaluru will focus on digital, big data, AI technology and supply chain excellence. (ANI)
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