Budweiser China kicks off the 2021 Smart Drinking campaign with partners. Jan Craps, Co-Chair and CEO of Budweiser APAC delivers the opening speech. Photo: Courtesy of Budweiser China

In an immersive street dance show Budweiser China unveiled its annual "Smart Drinking, No Drink-Driving" campaign in downtown Shanghai on October 14, a week long corporate social responsibility program to raise the public awareness of the dangers of drink-driving.

For 14 years, the campaign has played a significant role in Budweiser APAC's dream to become the "most loved high-quality growth leader in beverage" and this year the company has upgraded the previous one-day celebration to a Global Smart Drinking Week, Jan Craps, Co-Chair and CEO of Budweiser APAC, said at the opening gala.

"We believe every experience with beer should be a positive one. We take our responsibility seriously to help reduce, prevent the harmful use of alcohol and pave the way for positive changes in people's lifestyles," Craps said.

A 14-year journey

In the hope of better engaging young groups, this year's iconic public welfare campaign has integrated the languages of street culture, together with Harbin Beer (also known as HAPI), a brand under Budweiser China, to call on the young generation to confront drink-driving behavior.

During the campaign, HAPI launched its first-ever creative smart drinking short film starring brand ambassador Lay Zhang. 

The fast-paced video depicts a group of friends enjoying fun moments over hotpot and cans of HAPI when Lay Zhang makes a timely intervention to stop one of his tipsy friends from driving home. Zhang's intervention comes as Hajiang, HAPI's virtual idol, also Shanghai's first virtual ambassador for road traffic safety awareness, arrives on the scene as a designated driver.

As the first beer company to focus on Smart Drinking in China, Budweiser China has made a great progress in the past 14 years.

"The NABLAB made up more than 20 percent of our total beer volume in fiscal year 2020 in China," Craps told the Global Times.

Over the last decade, Budweiser China has engaged millions of consumers to participate in Smart Drinking, with approximately 20,000 people from Budweiser China and business partners raising awareness for Smart Drinking each year, he added. 

At this year's campaign, Budweiser China unveiled an exclusive Harbin No-Alcohol Beer with Lay Zhang's image advocates the social norms, along with limited-edition merchandise deepening fans' loyalty to Smart Drinking. 

Budweiser China's completion rate of guidance label for Smart Drinking has reached to 70 percent by end of fiscal year 2020 and is expected to reach 100 percent by the end of 2021,Craps said.

Budweiser China kicks off the 2021 Smart Drinking campaign with partners. Photo: Courtesy of Budweiser China

Frontrunner in ESG

Besides efforts made on Smart Drinking campaigns, Budweiser China is dedicated to using its impact and scale to drive positive change in communities in the environmental, social and governance sectors or the ESG.

Echoing China's goal to reach carbon peak in 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 the Budweiser APAC Wuhan Brewery is committed to achieving AB InBev's first carbon-neutral brewery globally by the end of this year, Craps said.

"We are building climate resilience by committing to transitioning our operations to 100 percent renewable electricity and reduce our emissions by 25 percent across the value chain," he added.

The progress of its 2025 Sustainability Goals also includes Circular Packaging - having 100 percent of its products to be in returnable packaging or made from majority recycled content by 2025 and Smart Agriculture - working closely with farmers to promote smart agriculture and improve farmer livelihoods through technology and sustainable farming practices. 

As respond to the local government's rural revitalization policy it has supported over 38,000 lime farmers in China and worked with 5,000 farmers in East China's Jiangsu Province to produce high-quality barley and increase their crop yields.

Meanwhile Budweiser China also spends lots of effort in improving road safety. It has launched the first Chinese-translated edition of the "Management Practices for Safer Roads" toolkit co-developed by AB InBev Global and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and shared it with local government in over 30 cities across China.

Global Smart Drinking Week commits to further promote positive drinking experience. Photo: Courtesy of Budweiser China

Strong growth in China 



In the first half of the year Budweiser China has seen strong growth in the premium and super premium segments in China, with 9.7 percent growth in revenue per hectoliter, according to Budweiser APAC 2021 Interim Report.

"The volumes, revenue and EBITDA all increased by double digits year-on-year in the first half of the year," Craps said.

In the past 12 months, Budweiser China has invested heavily in China. 

Last December Budweiser's new Wenzhou Brewery officially entered operations using the most advanced technology, an automatic warehouse system and a renewable energy and digital control center, making it a world-class model brewery as being green, intelligent and efficient.

It has also expanded the Putian Brewery to support the continued Premium and Super Premium growth, making Putian Brewery remain the largest brewery in Asia upon completion.

"Together with over 22,000 employees and about 30 breweries across the country, we are definitely confident in rooting in China for the long-term, with confidence in China and the China beer market," Craps said.