Brewers Association Releases New Five-Year Sustainability Benchmarking Report

From The Brewers Association:   zzubreebym

The Brewers Association (BA) recently published its second Five-Year Sustainability Benchmarking Report for calendar years 2017 through 2021. These reports provide a sustainability snapshot of the industry, a reference point for craft brewers based on production size, and creates a platform for the craft brewing community to share best practices for how to use water more efficiently, generating less wastewater and solid waste, decreasing total energy usage, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The report was created using data submitted by breweries through the Sustainability Benchmarking Tool. Brewery participation involves entering monthly usage and cost data for sustainability key performance indicators (KPIs) such as electricity, fuel, water, and carbon dioxide usage, as well as waste disposal. While participation slowed through the pandemic years, the information submitted continued the creation of a robust dataset for pulling out industry trends. A special “thank you” goes out to those breweries that submitted data through the turbulent years of the pandemic. Their contribution allows for observations which benefit the entire industry.

For breweries interested in participating in this valuable project, check out the Sustainability Benchmarking Tool and/or reach out to [email protected].

Link to author biography

WRITTEN BY Katie Fromuth

Katie Fromuth is the Technical Brewing Projects Coordinator for the Brewers Association. Prior to this role she held the position of Quality Lab Director in the Fermentation Science and Technology program at Colorado State University and as Quality Lab Manager at Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont. She received her bachelor’s degree in environmental health (2012) and master’s in horticulture with a concentration in agricultural chemistry (2022). She received a General Certificate in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, completed the Advanced Class in Craft Malt Production, and served as an instructor for the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) Deep Dive into Quality course. She currently sits on the ASBC Technical Committee and served on the Rocky Mountain District Master Brewers Association of the Americas board for seven years. She’s passionate about communicating the science and art of brewing and fermentation to spark in others a curiosity and joy towards this fantastic world of fermentation.