• In 2024, Ursus Breweries’ contributions to the national and local budget were 487.8 million lei;
• Ursus Breweries achieved, in 2024, a 37% reduction in direct carbon emissions compared to the 2019 reference year;
• During 2024, 25% recycled content (rPET) was implemented in all PET packaging;
• It is the first year of reporting with reference to the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), part of a voluntary process of alignment with the new European framework.
Ursus Breweries reduced its plastic consumption by 28% in 2024, exceeding the 25% target set for 2030. The company also reduced its direct carbon emissions by 37% compared to the 2019 reference year and contracted 100% renewable energy in its factories in Timișoara, Brașov and Buzău. Alongside these performances, the company continued its investments in sustainability and adopted a voluntary process of alignment with the new European ESRS reporting framework. Thus, Ursus Breweries publishes the first annual report with reference to the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), carried out in collaboration with Deloitte Romania.
As an important economic actor and leader of the beer market in Romania, Ursus Breweries made contributions of 487.8 million lei to the state budget in 2024, positioning itself as a trusted partner of the authorities.
“During 2024, we made consistent progress towards our sustainability goals. We reduced the amount of plastic we put on the market by 28% compared to 2019 – exceeding the target proposed for 2030 – and contracted the exclusive purchase of electricity from renewable sources for all our factories. Furthermore, in a world where the expectations of consumers, authorities and society as a whole are evolving rapidly, we set out not only to keep up with change, but to anticipate it, to prepare ourselves thoroughly and to be part of the solutions that shape the economy of the future. In this context, we voluntarily chose to structure the annual report with reference to the ESRS, treating this process as an internal strategic exercise, designed to prepare us for future requirements, but also to bring added rigor and transparency to our performance reporting. Although we are not yet legally obliged to report with reference to the ESRS standards, we wanted this report to reflects the real level of maturity achieved and to contribute to an open and informed dialogue with all our partners,” said Robert Uzună, Vice President of Corporate Affairs of Ursus Breweries.
For Ursus Breweries, sustainability is part of the company’s development strategy and represents an authentic business culture that manifests itself through environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments, including reducing carbon emissions, resource efficiency, circular economy initiatives, positive social impact, supporting inclusion and well-being, as well as promoting responsible alcohol consumption. All of the company’s sustainability projects are described in the eighth and most recent Sustainability Report.
Carbon dioxide emission reduction
Ursus Breweries is working to achieve environmental objectives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through a policy implemented at group level, and in 2024 it achieved a 37% reduction in direct emissions compared to the 2019 reference year.
The concrete actions aim to reduce emissions by adopting technologies to make consumption more efficient, partnerships for the production of electricity from renewable sources, reducing the carbon footprint due to packaging, by reducing its weight, through local production and the use of an increased percentage of recycled content, replacing the refrigerator fleet in the distribution network with new, more energy-efficient models and logistical optimizations – both in its own warehouses – electric forklifts powered by green energy, as well as optimizing distribution routes and pilot projects with electric trucks between its own warehouses.
Reducing water consumption and waste management
The company’s commitment aims to reduce water consumption per hectoliter of beer produced, being closely linked to the impacts identified on water consumption, water extraction and the efficient use of water resources. In 2024, the average water consumption at Ursus Breweries was 2.83 hl water/hl beer, very close to the target of 2.75 hl set for 2030, in line with the Asahi Europe & International commitment. In addition, its own water treatment plants are used before it enters the internal circuit, and wastewater is treated in its own treatment plants.
In addition, in 2024, only 1.18% of the waste generated in Ursus Breweries factories ended up in landfill, an important step towards the goal of zero waste by 2030.
Use of reusable and recyclable packaging
During 2024, Ursus Breweries reached the target of using recycled material in PET bottles, 25% rPET for all packaging of this type and replaced, wherever possible, promotional materials (POSM) made of PVC (non-recyclable) with alternatives made of recyclable plastic or with 100% recycled cardboard.
Thus, through the mix of the portfolio placed on the market and the actions to reduce plastic in packaging carried out in previous years, Ursus Breweries achieved the performance of reducing plastic placed on the market by 28% compared to the 2019 reference value, exceeding the 25% objective proposed for 2030.
Responsible alcohol consumption
In 2024, Ursus Breweries reached and exceeded the 7% target for non-alcoholic product sales, reaching 7.4% of total sales. The company continued to innovate and develop the non-alcoholic product portfolio, launching two new varieties of Ursus Cooler: raspberry-blackberry and pineapple-guava. Currently, all Ursus Breweries product labels, as well as all commercial communication materials, include messages promoting responsible consumption.
Ursus Breweries also runs campaigns dedicated to reducing irresponsible alcohol consumption among adults and preventing alcohol consumption among minors. Thus, the company continued its long-standing partnership with the Federation of Non-Governmental Organizations for Children (FONPC) and launched a series of awareness podcasts available on the Youtube page Despre Alcool, which has already collected over a million views. The podcast continues in 2025, bringing to the fore doctors, therapists and addiction specialists who address several relevant topics for the prevention of irresponsible alcohol consumption, starting from family relationships, mental health or the risks of alcohol consumption among minors. At the same time, communications related to responsible alcohol consumption on the page desprealcool.ro have collected over 10.5 million views.
Last year, the promotion of responsible alcohol consumption also reached festivals, at UNTOLD and Oktoberfest, through an original board game with fun and educational questions tested by over 1,100 festival-goers and which also determined the significant increase in the use of the Zero la Mie application. The application was developed by Ursus Breweries together with the Romanian Traffic Police and the Institute of Forensic Medicine, is free and estimates when the blood alcohol level returns to zero after a person has consumed alcohol.
Positive impact in the community
Last year, over 220 colleagues dedicated their time to environmental protection actions and promoting diversity and inclusion. Also, Ciucaș and Act for Tomorrow organized 4 greening actions, with 485 volunteers involved, from the community and among employees, who collected over 17.5 tons of waste from nature.
At the same time, in partnership with 11 educational institutions in Bucharest, Cluj, Timișoara, Buzău and Galați, Ursus Breweries offered 48 scholarships and 11 internships for the 2024-2025 school year.
Ursus Breweries’ achievements and progress in the field of sustainable development were published in the latest Sustainability Report, which can be accessed here.
This is the eighth sustainability report published by Ursus Breweries and the first to follow the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The report reflects the company’s commitment to transparency, responsible governance and the integration of ESG principles into its business strategy, as part of a voluntary process of alignment with new European requirements.
