TRAINEES FROM THE EPA AND IFC’S ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME TOUR ABL
29th August, 2018
A group of trainees from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) Environment and Social Risk Management Programme toured Accra Brewery Limited (ABL). The EPA and IFC’s partnership focuses on training local consultants and personnel from various institutions to support Ghanaian banks to develop and implement environmental and social best practices.
During the welcome address to the visitors at ABL, Ms. Adwoa Aaba Arthur, the company’s Legal & Corporate Affairs Director, said, “our business thrives on sustainable practices, which we take seriously and we are excited to share evidence on our progress towards achieving our 2025 Sustainability Goals”. These goals are using more recyclable packaging; reducing our carbon emissions and increasing renewable energy use; improving the availability of water in high stress areas; and financially empowering our farmers”.
The group, which consisted of local environment consultants, began their tour with an induction on our safety rules and regulations, a tutorial on how we brew our beer as well as how our beer is packaged.
A “Grain to Glass” Tutorial on Brewing Beer
Mr. Wisdom Kofigah, ABL’s Quality Manager, demonstrated to the tourists how our beer is brewed. He shared with them our most essential ingredients which are hops, barley, yeast and water and stated that water is the most important ingredient for all our products.Mr. Kofigah mentioned that “water is the unsung hero of beer and it is equally as important as hops and barley which greatly impacts the taste of beer. We, therefore, always treat our water under the most rigorous specifications to ensure quality”. That is why we treat it always and comply with tight specifications to ensure quality”.
Packaging Beer
During the guided tour of our visitors observing the operations of our packaging lines, Mr. Emmanuel Taylor, who is the team leader of our second Packaging Line, explained that conveyor belts carrying empty bottles are sent to a washer, thoroughly cleaned and inspected for flaws. The approved bottles are then filled with beer and crowned with caps.Mr. Taylor mentioned that although the packaging process is automated, team members play a critical role in ensuring the quality and integrity of our beer at the packaging lines.
He stated that “as a result, we enforce stringent safety measures and ensure that all employees are in appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at all times when working on the Line”.
Tourists’ Impressions
After the tour, Mr. Daniel Asah, a trainee and environment expert, said that, “I began the tour with very high expectations of ABL regarding their compliance with environment and safety regulations”.“Additionally, I am highly impressed with the visible safety signs and clearly-demarcated walkways which depict ABL’s level of compliance with environment and safety guidelines.”