Consideration on Brewing Sustainability

At the 2023 Craft Brewers Conference, the Siebel Institute of Technology booth was situated across from a company selling self-adhesive labels designed for beer cans. They had some very impressive products in a variety of materials. As I looked at their display, a thought came to mind regarding sustainability. Do labels interfere with the recyclability of the aluminum can? While recycling capabilities will vary by region, it turns out that can labels do indeed have the potential to complicate recycling aluminum depending on the label materials.   

Consider small changes in your business 

Recyclability is just one component of sustainability. Brewing is a complex process with many steps that can be optimized to increase efficiency and reduce waste. For example: 

There are hundreds of practices within the brewery and front-of-house that can be modified to make a real impact on your environmental footprint. It requires that you pay attention to what comes into your company and what goes out of it, including the products you make, the methods you use to distribute your products, effluent from your manufacturing process, and even the goods you use to promote your brand. Paying attention to the many small opportunities for optimization is a larger step towards reaching your sustainability goals. 

Big breweries are leading the way 

You can learn a lot from the world’s leading breweries  and these breweries are willing to share! Over the years, some of the largest and most successful U.S. craft breweries have given presentations as part of Siebel courses, including topics such as sustainable packaging and sourcing materials from ethical producers. Simply searching the term “brewery sustainability” online will result in how-to approaches from leading breweries as well as valuable information from the Brewers Association and other trusted brewing-related sources.

Environmental impact is part of a comprehensive brewing education 

In our advanced-level programs such as the WBA Master Brewer program , critical topics regarding environmentally sustainable practices are covered throughout the course. For example, the management of brewery effluent is covered under wort production, fermentation operations, and in areas involving packaging. The processes and systems involved in CO₂ collection and reuse are extensively discussed during the Packaging and Process Technology module, which also looks at the environmental impact of various forms of packaging. Brewing conferences usually feature a sustainability track that deals with multiple issues at varying levels of complexity.

Making the effort to prioritize sustainability issues isn’t an easy task, especially amid the stresses of rising costs, understaffing, and normal brewery operation. But it is important that each brewery makes the critical step to take action, no matter how big or small. Training in every phase of brewing operations can help brewers identify specific opportunities for maximum impact and minimal cost (and, in some cases, may even save you money). With everyone making small changes, we are building a brewing industry that is more environmentally friendly.

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