The German brewer behind Stella Artois and Becks has set itself targets to slash water use and waste over the next five years.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) has 200 beer brands and has facilities in 24 countries such as its brewery in Leuven, Germany (pictured).

It wants to cut its global water usage to 3.2 hectolitres of water per hectolitre of production, the equivalent of about 5,400 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Another of the brewer’s targets is to reduce packaging by 100,000 tons, the equivalent of around a quarter of a billion full cans of beer.

The firm also plans to bring in watershed protection measures – which means managing how their water drains into local lakes or rivers – at all its facilities in key areas in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Mexico, Peru and the United States.

Carlos Brito, CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev said: “Our approach recognises that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to improve sustainability. The key will be to leverage the experience and expertise of our colleagues globally, foster a collective approach through partnerships with local stakeholders and continue to scale best practices across our company.”