Every year, political and business leaders head down to Davos for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting. Although several faces were missed this year, AB InBev’ Chief Executive Officer and Chief Sustainabilty and Procurement Officer (CPO) were in attendance, along with another iconic face: Matt Damon, Water.org founder and ambassador of Stella Artois’ campaign for improving water access in the developing world.
Davos’ Tradeshift Sanctuary hosts an assembly of a world-class speakers throughout the week tackling some of the most pressing issues of our time. This year Matt Damon and our CPO Tony Milikin gathered on a panel to discuss the global water crisis and our response to support the cause.
Water.org is a nonprofit organization (NPO) that exists to tackle the global water crisis head on. AB InBev teamed up with the NPO back in 2015 through Stella Artois’ campaign ‘Pour it Forward’. The NPO brings small, easily repayable loans to those who need access to affordable financing and expert resources to make household water and toilet solutions a reality.
“Water is our number one ingredient when brewing beer. Not only for us, but for the whole globe, water is the most valuable resource,” our Chief Sustainability & Procurement Officer at AB InBev Tony Milikin, explained in Davos. “About 25 percent of the beer we brew comes from water-restricted areas, and we anticipate that will be 50 percent by 2030, so we have a responsibility to help these communities.”
That is why we launched a campaign which makes it easy for Stella Artois drinkers to make a difference. If our consumers buy the limited edition Stella Artois chalice or six-pack, part of the earnings on each sale is donated to Water.org. The chalice for example provides one person with clean drinking water for five years, whereas the six-pack equals six months clean water access.
Our campaign has reached its fourth edition this year, with Matt Damon on board as its ambassador since 2015. In Davos, the actor spread the message far and wide to Pour it Forward, explaining how the water crisis impacts the day-to-day lives of people in developing countries.
We want to provide measurably improved water availability and quality in 100% of our communities in high-stressed areas by 2025, in part through Stella Artois’ campaign. So far, we have changed the lives of more than 1.7 million people with clean water access together with Water.org. 600,000 stand-alone chalices have already been sold, helping 300,000 people between 2015 and 2017 alone. In 2017, Stella Artois and Water.org announced a renewed four-year commitment to help provide 3.5 million people in the developing world with long-term, sustainable access to clean water by 2020.
Together, we can do so much more. Together, we can change lives. Together we can #GiveThemTimeBack
Shop for your chalice here, also available on Amazon.
