Stateways

StateWays - November/December 2016

StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions

Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/752490

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 62 of 71

w w w.BevInfoGroup.com Sustainability Guide 2016• Beverage Information Group 11 E veryone in the beverage business is going green — and no one has to ask why. The writing has been on the spreadsheets for a while now. Forward-thinking brewers and distillers are delving into the role of environmental stewardship. The challenges are complex. A brewery or stillhouse is just one link in the life chain of a pint of beer, or shot of liquor, impacting the planet's resources. That complex chain extends to the agricultural sourcing of the raw ingredients on one end, and bauxite mining and glass production for packaging on the other. Interdependencies among climate, watersheds, energy production and waste disposal entail multifaceted aspects in every environmental initiative. Sustainable solutions call for innovation and perseverance. "Sustainable initiatives help us—and all companies who undertake them—to make a positive contribution to society and our planet," says Steve Harris, senior vice president, Technical, at Diageo North American Supply. CENTS AND SENSE Not only are sustainable initiatives the responsible thing to do, they also make good business sense. Improving effi ciencies in production as well as sourcing and packaging fall to the bottom line. Green technology helps the planet while providing good returns on investment. "Sustainability is the right thing to do," says Katie Wallace, assistant director of sustainability for New Belgium Brewing. Wallace is also a co-chair of the Brewers Association's Sustainability Subcommittee. "The more we can reduce our water and energy consumption and CO2 emissions, the more we help the ecosystem. It also mitigates our level of business risk." New Belgium has been a pioneer as a friend of the Earth. Employees each get a free bicycle for low- impact transportation. Investments in more-effi cient technologies have paid dividends over the years. "We believe we are more profi table not in spite of our social and environmental efforts, but because of them," notes Wallace. Other companies have seen similar results. "Nearly two and a half years after launching the Bacardi Limited 'Good Spirited: Building a Sustainable Future' initiative, we are on track to achieve 2017 goals for sourcing, operations and packaging," says Julio Torruella, director of Global Environment – Operations, for Bacardi. In 2015, Bacardi already achieved an estimated savings of $10M in energy, $2M in glass weight, increased ECO STRATEGIES Going green makes good business sense, appeals to consumers and helps save the planet by Thomas Henry Strenk

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Stateways - StateWays - November/December 2016