Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable

What Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable does

Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) is a non-profit technical coalition established in 2006 that unites 19 leading global beverage companies to advance environmental sustainability across the sector. Headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota and facilitated by Antea Group, BIER develops industry-specific sustainability tools, guidance documents, and benchmarking methodologies organized around five pillars: Water Stewardship, Climate Action & Decarbonization, Sustainability Disclosure & Transparency, Circular Systems, and Nature & Biodiversity. Members include AB InBev, Asahi, Bacardi, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, Constellation Brands, Diageo, Heaven Hill, Heineken, Keurig Dr Pepper, Kirin, LION, Molson Coors, Monster, Ocean Spray, PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard, and Suntory Global Spirits.

BIER's core offerings comprise 13 completed global water, energy, and emissions benchmarking studies covering nearly 2,000 facilities across six continents and 18+ years of longitudinal data; the Beverage Industry GHG Emissions Sector Guidance (currently Version 4.3) with alignment to SBTi, ISSB, CSRD and WRI/WBCSD standards; the Water Circularity Metrics Tool and True Cost of Water Toolkit 3.0; Facility Decarbonization Playbooks (general and small/medium-supplier variants); an EUDR Interpretation Guide; and quarterly Regulatory Roundup sessions on emerging ESG disclosure frameworks. The coalition also runs collective-action programs such as the Charco Bendito watershed restoration initiative in Jalisco, Mexico and the Sustainable Coolers Coolition, which convenes member companies with refrigeration manufacturers like Imbera, Metalfrio, CoolR, and Huayi on supply-chain decarbonization. Annual Cool Challenge competitions surface next-generation cooling solutions.

BIER operates as a private, membership-funded coalition rather than a commercial enterprise; all publications, tools and guidance documents are available as free downloads, and revenue derives from membership dues and member-contributed funding directed through the Antea Group-administered operating structure. Go-to-market is community-led, with members recruited via industry relationships and demonstrated value of collaborative initiatives; Heineken, PepsiCo, AB InBev, and Diageo rotate through Chair and Co-Chair roles on BIER's Steering Committee, and the coalition conducts Spring Member Meetings, regulatory roundups, ad-hoc member sessions, and the Cool Challenge to maintain engagement. There is no venture funding, equity ownership, or commercial product sales.

Name

Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable

Legal name

Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable

Website

https://bieroundtable.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) is a 2006-founded non-profit membership coalition of 19 leading global beverage companies that develops sector-specific sustainability tools, guidance documents, and water, energy, and emissions benchmarking studies to advance environmental performance industry-wide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Sustainability Coalition & Industry Guidance

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Circularity Consulting & Program Management (EPR, Design-for-Circularity, LCA) (EUAIANAH)

Keywords

• Environmental sustainability coalition
• Beverage industry benchmarking
• Water stewardship guidance
• Decarbonization playbook
• Industry sustainability association

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: BIER operates as a membership-based coalition. Beverage companies join BIER to participate in collaborative sustainability initiatives, access benchmarking data, and contribute to industry-standard guidance development. Revenue is derived from membership dues from leading global beverage companies including Anheuser-Busch InBev, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Diageo, Heineken, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BIER is a nonprofit technical coalition of 19 leading global beverage companies that develops and freely distributes industry-specific environmental sustainability guidance, benchmarking studies, tools, and playbooks covering water stewardship, climate action and decarbonization, sustainability disclosure, circular systems, and nature/biodiversity. Its core deliverable is the annual global Water, Energy, and Emissions Benchmarking Study (now in its 13th iteration, covering nearly 2,000 facilities), accompanied by sector-specific guidance documents such as the Beverage Industry GHG Emissions Sector Guidance and collective action initiatives including Charco Bendito and the Sustainable Coolers Coolition.

Product overview

BIER (Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable) is a technical coalition of leading global beverage companies formed in 2006 to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector. Rather than a single software product, BIER offers a comprehensive portfolio of publications, guidance documents, benchmarking studies, and tools. The core offerings include the Water, Energy, and Emissions Benchmarking Studies (conducted annually with 13 studies completed), the Beverage Industry GHG Emissions Sector Guidance (v4.3), and the Facility Decarbonization Playbook. The portfolio also includes specialized guidance on Water Circularity (Playbook, Good Practices Guide, Metrics Tool), Internal Carbon Pricing, Energy Management (covering Boundary, Baseline, Metering, KPIs, Benchmarking, Goals & Targets), and Climate Risk (Physical Risk Briefs, Transition Risk Briefs). Additional offerings include the True Cost of Water Toolkit, Water Replenishment Insights, Performance in Watershed Context documents, EUDR Interpretation Guide, and collective action programs like Charco Bendito and the Sustainable Coolers Coolition. All publications are available as free downloadable PDFs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water, Energy, and Emissions Benchmarking Studies Comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analysis of water, energy, and emissions efficiency in the beverage industry. BIER has conducted 13 global benchmarking studies evaluating nearly 2,000 facilities worldwide across 18+ years of industry performance data; available as a free download for the beverage sector.
• Beverage Industry GHG Emissions Sector Guidance (Version 4.3) Sector-specific guidance to enhance and support the estimation, tracking, and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions within the beverage industry, aligned with global GHG reporting protocols including WRI/WBCSD, SBTi, ISSB, and CSRD.
• Facility Decarbonization Playbook A 4-pillar approach guide for production facilities to systematically decarbonize operations; intended to be relevant to any sector accelerating decarbonization efforts.
• Decarbonization Playbook for Small & Medium Suppliers Designed to assist small and medium suppliers in decarbonization efforts with theoretical context, low-hanging fruit identification, and a decarbonization roadmap tailored to organizations with limited sustainability resources.
• Internal Carbon Pricing – An Implementation Guide for Beverage Companies Guide explaining how Internal Carbon Pricing (ICP) can be used as a tool in a beverage company's decarbonization journey; for sustainability and finance leaders across the beverage sector.
• Water Circularity Playbook Comprehensive guide designed to help organizations prioritize water risks and implement effective circular water solutions at facility and corporate levels.
• True Cost of Water Toolkit 3.0 Pre-designed spreadsheet tool to help quantify costs associated with business water systems; for facility and corporate sustainability teams in the beverage sector.
• Water Circularity Metrics Tool Scenario-based tool providing a practical methodology for businesses to adopt a common metric for water circularity at facility and enterprise levels, supporting the transition from linear to circular water management.
• Sustainable Coolers Coolition & Cool Challenge Collaborative initiative bringing together BIER members, refrigeration equipment manufacturers, and component suppliers to advance next-generation cooling solutions and periodic open innovation challenges (e.g., Cool Challenge).
• Charco Bendito Watershed Initiative Collaborative watershed restoration initiative in the Lerma-Santiago Basin of Jalisco, Mexico, bringing together leading beverage companies for collective action on shared water challenges.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water use ratios decreased by 8% from 2017 to 2022 across participating facilities
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Imbera (Cool Challenge Winner)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Winner of the 2025 Cool Challenge competition for Overall Best Solution, delivering a next-gen holistic approach to sustainable refrigeration for the beverage industry.
• Metalfrio Solutions & LEAF PolyolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Joint winners of the 2025 Cool Challenge Circularity award for advancing smart, circular cooling solutions.
• CoolR GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Winner of the 2025 Cool Challenge Business Model Innovation award for rethinking how sustainability scales in refrigeration.
• Huayi Compressor Co., LtdminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Winner of the 2025 Cool Challenge Incremental Energy Efficiency award for elevating compressor performance in cooling systems.
• Sustainable Coolers Coolition MemberscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The Sustainable Coolers Coolition brings together BIER member companies, refrigeration equipment manufacturers, component suppliers, and technical partners to advance next-generation cooling solutions that significantly reduce emissions and energy use in commercial refrigeration. Focus areas include Standards & Legislation, Circularity, and Energy Efficiency & Innovation.
• Charco Bendito PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Charco Bendito is a collaborative watershed restoration initiative in the Lerma-Santiago Basin of Jalisco, Mexico, born through a BIER-facilitated partnership. The project brings together leading beverage companies (AB InBev, Bacardi, Brown-Forman, Diageo, Keurig Dr Pepper, Pernod Ricard, Suntory Global Spirits) and other major corporations to address shared water challenges through collective action, ecosystem restoration, and long-term community engagement.
• Antea GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Antea Group serves as the facilitating partner for BIER, providing organizational support, infrastructure, and coordination for the coalition's activities. The Executive Director (Dan Pierce, and later Erica Pann) is affiliated with Antea Group. Antea Group enables BIER to operate as a neutral, industry-wide coalition focused on advancing environmental sustainability in the beverage sector.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWWF partnered with AB InBev's local company Ambev on the CYAN Movement's Basins Project to study and drive conservation efforts in the Corumbá-Paranoá Basin in Brazil. WWF collaboration provided expertise for water basin conservation and restoration activities.
• WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIER collaborates with WBCSD on developing guidance to monitor and measure water circularity, contributing to global sustainability standards development.
• 1,200 Wine Growers (Pernod Ricard Network)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPernod Ricard shared its biodiversity methodology developed at Martell Vineyards with its network of 1,200 wine growers to promote similar biodiversity preservation measures globally.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ceres: US-based sustainability nonprofit mobilizing businesses on climate, water, and ESG issues. Comparable coalition/advocacy model to BIER, though broader across industries rather than beverage-specific.
• CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): Global environmental disclosure system used by thousands of companies. Operates in adjacent space to BIER's sustainability disclosure workstream; BIER's investor-focused materials (Nine Top Investor Takeaways) reference CDP-related disclosure trends.
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD): Global CEO-led coalition of ~200+ large companies advancing sustainability. Directly comparable to BIER's coalition model; BIER has a documented collaboration partnership with WBCSD on water circularity metrics, indicating peer-level engagement.
• Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi): Drives corporate climate target-setting against climate science. BIER's GHG Emissions Sector Guidance v4.3 explicitly aligns with SBTi, and BIER's climate/decarbonization work overlaps significantly with SBTi's corporate engagement scope.
• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): Independent international standards organization for sustainability reporting. Operates in BIER's sustainability disclosure workstream space; BIER's disclosure guidance complements GRI's reporting standards.
• The Consumer Goods Forum: Global industry association for consumer goods companies (including major beverage players) working on sustainability, health, and supply chain. Comparable coalition model with overlapping beverage membership and ESG workstreams.
• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): Large global environmental consultancy that competes with Antea Group and delivers beverage-sector sustainability advisory. Adjacent peer in the EHS advisory space BIER operates in.

Others

• Antea Group: Global EHS and sustainability consultancy that facilitates BIER and provides executive leadership. Operates as both BIER's backbone and as a competing environmental consulting provider to beverage companies; a hybrid partner/competitor relationship.

Direct peers

• Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS): International standard-setter for water stewardship with strong beverage-sector participation (Coca-Cola, Diageo, AB InBev all AWS members). Directly comparable to BIER's Water Stewardship pillar and Water Circularity portfolio.
• CEO Water Mandate: UN Global Compact initiative on corporate water stewardship. Directly comparable in scope to BIER's Water Stewardship pillar and water-related benchmarking work; many BIER member companies participate in both.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bier
• Xx.com/bieroundtable

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable