Raising the Bar: How Breweries Are Making Better Beer
The beer industry is transforming to meet the demands of consumers who are not only purchasing products based on their needs but also because of the impact beer may have on the environment. Many large breweries are innovating their processes to adopt sustainable practices. From agricultural production, energy and water use in the brewing process to sustainable packaging, breweries are working on projects that meet climate change targets but still provide beer drinkers with the quality taste experience they demand.
Discover more about the initiatives of two of the largest brewers in the world and how they aim to achieve their brewing sustainability targets.
Brew A Better World with Heineken
In 2021, Heineken announced their Brew a Better World 2030 strategy. Achieving net zero by 2040 will be gained through a transition to renewable energy throughout their business operations.
Heineken's transformational program, "Drop the C", focuses on high-impact areas to significantly reduce CO2 emissions. In production, process and cooling, Heineken is making positive changes. Replacing refrigeration units to reduce CO2 emissions and reducing thermal energy consumption are just some areas of focus.
In 2022, they achieved an 18% reduction in emissions against their 2018 baseline and improved their average water usage (hl/hl) by 34% compared to 2008.
AB InBev’s 2025 Sustainability Goals
Introduced in 2018, AB-InBev's 2025 Sustainability Goals aim to drive transformational change across the entire value chain. These include buying 100% renewable electricity and reducing carbon emissions by 25% across the value chain. They have already achieved a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and decreased value chain emissions by over 10% per hectoliter. AB-InBev has carbon-neutral breweries in China and Brazil and has developed technology to reduce CO2 emissions by 5% annually.
How Pall is Quenching the Thirst for Sustainable Practices
Did you know that filtration technologies help to improve brewing process efficiency, therefore support a more sustainable manufacturing process? Breweries that use efficient filtration systems reduce waste, but not all manufacturers leverage the best practices available. For many manufacturers, the Diatomaceous Earth (DE) filters are one of the most common filtration methods, but generates high levels of waste. By moving to an DE-free alternative like membrane filtration eliminates these issues.
Filtration can also support by reducing energy consumption. Many breweries are leveraging cold membrane filtration in their beer production process. Traditionally, beer manufacturers use flash pasteurizers which can waste up to 75% more water, consume up to 80% more energy and produce up to 40% more CO2.
Pall is at the forefront of these innovative solutions in filtration that assist breweries in improving their ecological footprint, while maintaining the highest product quality.