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

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w w w.BevInfoGroup.com 14 Beverage Information Group • Sustainability Guide 2016 consideration," says Torruella. For Bacardi rums, that was reduced from 12 liters, a considerable savings. Bacardi's 2017 goal is to cut water use by 55%. Some water fixes are easy, like maintenance on pipes, hoses and other equipment to stop leaks. Brooklyn Brewery installed low-flow sinks as one facet of its water- reduction efforts. Allagash Brewing Co. in Portland, Me., keeps close tabs on water by installing flow restrictors on every faucet in their facility as well as using water-free urinals in restrooms. The keg line has a closed loop CIP system, reducing water needed to clean kegs. Other aspects of beverage lifecycles are more water- intensive—growing raw ingredients and manufacturing packaging. Many beverage companies work with agricultural supplier partners to improve irrigation effectiveness and crop yields. MillerCoors' Showcase Barley Farm in Idaho has cumulatively saved more than 400 million gallons of water in three years of operation. "A critical goal for the future is also a current one: to reduce water use," says Harris at Diageo. "We will continue to focus on improving water efficiency across our operations in order to enhance our performance as well as benefit local communities." The company increased water efficiency by 23% since 2007. CONSERVING ENERGY As products that require heating, cooling and chilling, beer and spirits are energy-intensive to make. But new energy-efficient equipment and best practices have dropped utility bills. Capturing and reusing heat and other energy is one strategy. Beverage companies are also moving toward renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal. Diageo already uses 100% renewable electricity at the majority of its U.S. sites. Using biogas technology at its Glendullan distillery in Speyside, the plant last year realized a 25% reduction in fossil fuel energy. This year, Brewery Vivant installed 192 solar panels to help supply energy. New Belgium retrofitted its warehouse with LED lighting, which cut electricity bills. The brewhouse also makes maximum use of available natural light. Heineken revamped its Göss brewery in Austria, the first large-scale carbon neutral brewery in the world, according to the company. The brewery is now powered entirely by renewable and reusable energy sources, including solar, hydropower, biogas and waste heat from a neighboring sawmill. Other Heineken brands— including Tiger beer in Singapore, Birra Moretti Baffo D'Oro in Italy and Wieckse in the Netherlands—are using solar energy installations to power brewing processes. Patron Spirits formerly used oil to heat boilers at its distillery in Jalisco. Then the company converted to more environmentally friendly natural gas. It was the first Tequila distillery to do so. For its part, Bacardi installed biomass boilers—fueled by wood chips, spent botanicals, and/or agave plants—at its Scotch whisky distillery in Aberfeldy, the Bombay Sapphire distillery at Laverstoke Mill in England, and the Cazadores tequila facility in Arandas, Mexico—which have cut GHG emissions. Two wind turbines were installed at the world's largest premium rum facility in Cataño, Puerto Rico. Destillería Serrallés is burning leftover sugarcane fiber, called bagasse, in a biomass boiler to reduce energy requirements. The boiler also burns biogas obtained from waste-water treatment. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS Fermentation for beverage alcohol generates CO2 as a waste product, which is a primary greenhouse gas. Compressed CO2 is also widely used to purge hose lines, tanks and other vessels. It's also used to carbonate beer before packaging. Producers are implementing a number of methods to trim CO2 emissions and reduce their carbon footprints Heineken's revamp of the Goss brewery is a prime example. Daily it produces 1.4 million bottles of carbon-neutral produced beer, and is helping to achieve Heineken's commitment to a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions from production by 2020. ECO STRATEGIES

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