Hugh Thomas writes about food, beer, and sustainable farming for magazines and blogs. Also a researcher, he's produced reports and provided consultancy support for food brands such as McCain, PepsiCo, and Epicurean Events.

In August 2020, Scottish brewery BrewDog announced that it was going to create 1,500 acres of native woodland at Loch Lomond, cementing itself as the world’s first carbon-negative beer business. 

 This is the tip of the iceberg for the brand’s eco-friendly endeavours, which include powering its brewery and all 52 UK bars using wind energy, incorporating electric delivery trucks into its distribution chain, and converting spent grain into fuel and fertiliser. 

 Through these efforts, it’s setting new standards for sustainable practices within the industry – not least because it helps beer brands strengthen connections with their drinkers. As noted by James Calder, the CEO of the Society of Independent Brewers, “what’s good for the environment is often quite good for your business as well.” 

According to a report published in 2019, the ethical consumer market is worth an estimated $54.6 billion – up from $14.9 billion in 1999 – with food and drink making up the largest share of this burgeoning sector. 

 This is perhaps unsurprising when considering that a person’s diet is often one of the easiest things to change to live more sustainably – and it’s not just BrewDog recognising this opportunity. Carlsberg is working on a biodegradable bottle made from paper, has replaced plastic rings on six-packs with recyclable glue, and has reduced the amount of glass in its bottles and aluminium in its cans – small changes that have dramatically impacted the company’s carbon footprint. 

Heineken, meanwhile, is looking to raise the bar on sustainability with its EverGreen strategy. Since 2008, the company has reduced its carbon emissions by 51% and is now aiming to focus more on renewable energies, such as thermal and solar, to make its production processes greener. 

On a smaller scale, Crust Brewing in Singapore incorporates unused bread in its brewing process, nudging other industry players to rethink the costs of production and the utility of surplus materials. “We have been approached for collaborations by plenty of companies,” says founder Travin Singh. 

 takes a similar approach, with both brands embracing perhaps the largest eco opportunity in the brewing industry – making a closed-loop system for both ingredients and packaging materials. Does spent grain have use beyond animal feed? Can used bottles be partially refunded to consumers? And when hops have a carbon footprint almost rivalling that of chicken, should brewers give up pursuing what’s in vogue (i.e. highly-hopped beers) to fight climate change?

The idea of using byproducts from brewing is at least a century old. Marmite came about in 1902 after scientist Justus von Liebig discovered that brewer’s yeast could be concentrated into an edible, spreadable foodstuff. But new innovations are begging to happen. Spent grain – the residual solids left after a brewer has extracted sugars from grain – reportedly accounts for 85% of all waste generated in the brewing process. As grain retains much of its nutritional content (protein, amino acids, vitamins) even when ‘spent’, according to a report from Cornell Sustainability Consultants, these byproducts represent a potentially lucrative revenue stream. 

Several brands are seeking to harness this potential, with EverGrain converting spent barley into nutrient-rich ingredients to be used in other food and drink products, such as cereal bars and barley milk. 

 Backed by AB InBev, it may be seen as a push by the beer giant to enter the ever-growing plant-based sector, which was estimated to be worth $10.3 billion globally in 2020. 

 Using surplus food from outside of beer production is another way for brands to be more sustainable. For instance, Kellogg’s is working with Manchester-based brewery Seven Bro7hers to recycle ‘less-than-perfect’ cereal into other consumables – in this case, beers labelled as Cast Off Pale Ale and Sling It Out Stout. With 82% of consumers saying they’d be more likely to use a company that makes an effort to mitigate waste, it’s a savvy – and fun – way of recycling that would otherwise be destined for the trash. 

However, innovation is needed in other areas. Water makes up roughly 95% of beer, with some of the more efficient breweries using two gallons of water for every gallon of beer. 

 Though vast improvements have been made to reduce consumption over the years – since 1992, brewers have managed to cut water usage in half – it’s a pressing issue given the increasing scarcity of freshwater around the world. 

 But as the University of Calgary and Canadian brewer Village demonstrated in August 2020, wastewater can be treated and reused to brew a great-tasting beer. 

Tasty beer is not the only ‘useful’ output of the brewing process

Gene Buonaccorsi, the marketing director at 

, says that “sustainability should be a necessity, not a nice-to-have [for brewers]. Being willing to make a decision that requires a little extra effort or investment shows commitment to the cause and helps establish a culture of sustainability.” 

 Yet while 81% of consumers globally strongly feel that companies should help improve the environment, most US breweries aren’t tracking their sustainability performance, so they may not have anything to show for their well-directed efforts. 

Some American brewers, such as Sierra Nevada, Allagash, Brooklyn, and Ninkasi, are actively focusing on increasing the sustainability of their production, shipping, and packaging models, whether that’s by going almost 100% zero-waste, upcycling used grains, or opting for more recyclable cans. Hawaii-based Kona, however, has emerged as a leader in what a sustainable brewery looks like in 2021. The brand processes its wastewater back into reusable fluids, generating hydro-energy in the process. It also uses solar power and collects spent grain to make the dough for the taproom’s pizzas. 

As discreet as it may be for their drinkers, brewers are honing much of their efforts backstage. “I see breweries focusing a lot of their energy and resource consumption as a sustainability measure,” says Buonaccorsi. ”Since the process of producing beer will always be resource-intensive from a recipe perspective, most opportunities lie in the logistics and infrastructure.” 

Eco-conscious consumers are paying closer attention to brands’ processes

Not so long ago, the conversation about packaging in the beer industry revolved around how cans had overtaken bottles as brewers’ chosen vessel due to them being more stackable, recyclable, and quicker to chill in the fridge. These days, breweries are thinking about ways to become less dependent on single-use packaging altogether, especially as a 

 grips the food and drink industry more generally. 

 In the UK, for instance, 71% of people surveyed in 2019 expressed interest in buying unpackaged food. 

 And in February 2020, a Mintel report highlighted that “the rapid growth of independent packaging-free stores is driving retailers across the industry to consider how to create simple, branded, and engaging refill opportunities in-store.”

Though less than ideal, growlers – more synonymous with pubs, bars, and taprooms than remote distribution – provide one solution to the single-use problem, and have seen an uptake in the pandemic era (the Ball Corporation, a manufacturer of growlers, had to ramp up production when it sold out of its stock in April 2020). 

The pandemic has also hampered brewers’ ability to get their hands on their preferred vessels, even a year after the initial outbreak. “Aluminium cans are a hot commodity and [it’s] hard to secure reasonable pricing and contracts,” says Rick Laxague, a managing partner at Craft Beverage Consultants. “Not because there is a shortage of metal, but there’s a shortage in manufacturing facilities.” 

Much of the trouble with cans concerns the way they’re packaged and labelled, with Laxague noting that paper labels are a more recyclable option than shrink wrap. “The shrink wrap cans are not eco-friendly because the plastic, when melted, changes the chemical make-up of the aluminium,” he explains. “Paper cans burn off prior to the melting of the aluminium. The widely popular PakTech plastic toppers are not single stream recycle use, they’re made of laundry soap and milk jugs primarily.” 

 Some brewers are aware of this problem. In Pittsburgh, East End Brewing Co. recycles its plastic carriers to make new ones, and in Florida, Saltwater favours carriers made from wheat and barley, making them biodegradable and edible for livestock or wildlife. Meanwhile, Corona’s accomplishments – which include fitting screw threads on cans to make them stackable – go to show that perhaps manufacturing extra material to keep beers in one unit is old hat. 

Beer packaging is expected to balance price, protection, and sustainability

While new-wave craft brewers have come to favour aluminium cans over bottles, the conversation rarely covers the environmental costs of production for these vessels. Compared to glass, aluminium requires around 15 times the amount of energy to produce and is derived from bauxite, often strip-mined and damaging to ecosystems – so its virtues should be put into perspective. Yet overall, cans still edge out on the sustainability scale over bottles. 

 Where alternatives to single-use receptacles (such as growlers) aren’t convenient, innovations are being made to cut down on the amount of material in bottles and cans. Just by introducing a slightly lighter can, Carlsberg is able to save 1,000 tonnes of metal and substantial carbon emissions each year. 

 “If brewers were to focus on using thinner glass, the innovation could prove more beneficial than switching from plastic rings,” writes John Kell for 

Cans have the benefit of more design space, helping brewers feed into ‘consumer arrogance’ (bragging about one’s purchases), which subsequently has commercial benefits. 

 But artistic design can also help to support sustainability. “There are some clever and fun ways that brewers remind drinkers to recycle using their packaging design,” says Buonaccorsi. “The Veil Brewing Company comes to mind, with the 

 on all its cans and even some merchandise.” 

 This carries weight with consumers – 56% of Americans agree that it’s a good idea to use a recognisable label on products made with a commitment to measuring and reducing their carbon footprint. 

With 56% of Gen Zers in the US saying they prefer purchasing eco-friendly products, breweries that emphasise their sustainability efforts stand to win over this growing consumer segment as they reach the legal drinking age. 

 “It should be a three-pronged message,” says Mike Kallenberger, a senior advisor at First Key Consulting. “Here’s what we’re doing, here’s why, and here’s how you can help. Research has found that many people want to be better stewards of the environment themselves, but they’re not sure how to get started. Brewers should tie their brand message to their actions, focusing on authentic actions within their operations.” 

 As research suggests, sustainable products from ‘moral’ brands are well-trusted. Perhaps this is why brands can pull off eco-friendly one-offs without appearing to be green-washing. BrewDog’s ‘planet first, carbon neutral’ Lost Lager can only seem more than a token gesture because it’s backed up by the company’s environmental efforts. 

Boost transparency and make it a part of storytelling

Savvy consumers are eager for transparency – 76% of online grocery shoppers expect more product information when buying over the web than when buying in-store, and 54% of all shoppers are happy to pay more for products that provide additional info. 

 When brands display care for sustainability, it improves consumer confidence, so the issue for brands has become in demonstrating their endeavours to consumers as much as simply carrying them out. Quorn, for instance, is including carbon footprint data on the packaging of 30 of its top-selling products. 

 With 67% of people globally supporting the idea of a carbon label, how can beer brands be recognised for their sustainable credentials? 

One answer may be in Farm Brewery certification, reserved for brewers sourcing at least 60% – or 90% by 2024 – of their ingredients locally. 

Gene Buonaccorsi is the marketing director at Mast Landing Brewing Co.

Rick Laxague is a managing partner at Craft Beverage Consultants.

Mike Kallenberger is a senior advisor in marketing insights and strategy at First Key Consulting.

Eastern Europe

Sweden

Stockholm

North America

United States

Eating and Drinking

Forbes

BrewDog

Imbibe

First Key

GlobeNewswire

BeverageDaily

Cornell Sustainability Consultants

BevNET

Yahoo Finance

Canvas8

Montana State University

The Conversation

Interview with Gene Buonaccorsi conducted by the author

Nielsen

Thrillist

Talking Retail

Mintel

Wine Enthusiast

Interview with Rick Laxague conducted by the author

Craft Brewing Business

Toast Ale

Fortune

Carbon Trust

Statista

Interview with Mike Kallenberger conducted by the author

The Scotsman

PR Newswire

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