Summer Reflections, Fall Momentum: BIER's 2025 Achievements and the Road Ahead
As the heat of summer gives way to the crisp focus of fall, the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) reflects on a 2025 that has been nothing short of dynamic. This has been a year of bold moves, agile responses, and powerful collaborations, all aimed at tackling climate challenges head-on and raising the bar for environmental sustainability across the beverage sector. From accelerating climate resilience to setting new benchmarks in industry standards, BIER and its members have turned ambition into action. Now, with the final quarter ahead, BIER is harnessing this momentum to close out the year with impact and step into 2026 on the strongest footing yet.
Advancing Technical Guidance
The year began with the release of Beverage Industry Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Sector Guidance Version 4.3. This update aligned the sector with emerging standards such as the CSRD and SBTi’s FLAG guidance, introduced enhanced methodologies for recycling, logistics, and cooling models, and strengthened protocols for data verification and disclosure. Collectively, these updates brought the industry one step closer to achieving net-zero emissions by 2040–2050.
Shortly thereafter, BIER published the Beverage Industry EUDR Interpretation Guide, a practical, sector-specific resource to help beverage companies navigate the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). With compliance deadlines beginning in late 2025 for larger operators, this guide provided actionable tools for mapping supply chains, assessing and mitigating risk, and integrating EUDR compliance with broader no-deforestation and climate commitments.
Innovation Through Collaboration
BIER’s Sustainable Coolers Coolition continued to unite members in developing solutions that reduce the environmental impact of cooling systems while safeguarding technical and business performance. This initiative reinforced one of BIER’s core commitments: advancing technologies that conserve energy and water without compromising quality or efficiency. In 2025, the Coolition also hosted the Cool Challenge, inviting passionate innovators to revolutionize commercial refrigeration for chilled, canned, or bottled beverages at their point of sale. The challenge pushed boundaries, sparked innovation, and inspired sustainable solutions to shape the beverage industry’s future.
BIER’s Charco Bendito Watershed Collaboration in Mexico also delivered tangible results in improving water quality and availability through multi-stakeholder action. In 2025, lessons from Charco Bendito began informing similar efforts in new geographies, demonstrating the scalability of BIER’s collaborative water stewardship model.
Staying Ahead of Regulatory Change
This year, navigating an evolving regulatory landscape wasn’t just a priority; it was a strategic advantage. Through the member-only Regulatory Round-Up and Ad-Hoc sessions, BIER kept members ahead of the curve on global disclosure standards, climate legislation, and emissions reporting expectations, not just tracking changes, but anticipating them. These quarterly sessions became a space for real-time intelligence sharing, where peers compared approaches, decoded new requirements, and identified opportunities to align sustainability ambitions with global expectations. The result? Members left not only informed, but equipped to turn regulatory challenges into catalysts for stronger, more credible sustainability strategies.
Highlighting Industry Leadership
Throughout 2025, BIER’s Member Spotlight series shone a well-deserved light on the people turning sustainability ambition into measurable action. From Justin Merrell of LION to Ana Fernanda Romero of Diageo, and from Heineken’s Nicolas Clerget - Chair of BIER - together with colleagues Hannah Hunt and Jade Mahuzier, to David Grant of PepsiCo - BIER’s Co-Chair - each story revealed a unique path to driving environmental progress. Their insights, innovations, and on-the-ground impact showcased the many ways BIER members are translating commitments into results, inspiring peers across the global beverage sector.
Engaging In-Person for Greater Impact
In May, BIER members converged in the vibrant city of Sevilla, Spain, for the Spring 2025 Roundtable Meeting, hosted by Heineken at the inspiring Fundación Cruzcampo. Over three days, the venue buzzed with forward-thinking discussions and collaborative problem-solving. Members dove deep into nature-positive strategies, explored innovative ways to measure water replenishment co-benefits, examined breakthroughs in renewable thermal energy, tackled the challenge of making zero-deforestation claims credible, and celebrated the power of industry coalitions in accelerating progress.
That momentum now carries into the Fall 2025 Roundtable Meeting, set for September in Louisville, Kentucky. Here, members will tackle another slate of high-priority topics, from discussing best practices for implementing Collective Action projects and utilizing green fertilizer to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to essential discussions on how climate adaptation can be a business driver, with the same energy and focus that has defined the year. These sessions aren’t just about sharing updates; they’re about reinforcing commitments to watershed health, aligning on regulatory strategies, and charting sustainability roadmaps that will ensure BIER’s collective voice remains a powerful force shaping the beverage industry’s environmental future.
Looking to the Final Stretch of 2025
As we move into the year’s final months, BIER is channeling the energy and achievements of 2025 into actionable next steps. Our shared focus is clear: finish strong, build resilience, and enter 2026 positioned to lead. With the dedication of our members and the momentum we’ve built together, the beverage industry is better equipped than ever to deliver on its sustainability promises, for our communities, our ecosystems, and our future. Together, BIER members are closing out 2025 not just with progress, but with a shared vision: a beverage sector that leads the way in building a sustainable future.
