How Beverage Alcohol Producers Practice Sustainability in 2024
Beverage alcohol has a sizeable carbon footprint. The global alcoholic beverage industry produces about 1.5 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, which is comparable to the emissions of around 276 million cars, according to a Manchester University Study conducted in 2020.
Everything from growing the ingredients needed for fermentation, manufacturing and packaging to fuel used to ship these products around the world all contributes to climate change. But several producers, suppliers and importers have implemented more sustainable practices.
One is Avivo, a California winery that focuses on regenerative farming, which helps to restore soil and ecosystem health while reducing the need for harmful chemicals and tilling. This approach helps restore the balance of carbon emissions and carbon sequestration in the vineyards, creating an ecosystem that thrives from the ground up, according to founder/CEO Ridgely Evers.
“We’ve really embraced biodynamics,” he says. “We’re certified organic, we’re certified biodynamic and we’re certified regenerative.”
The company has two farms in Navarro, CA, Evers says. “The inspection process for each one is different because there are two different living organisms. But if you look at our vineyards, there are so many other plants growing.”
Part of this growth is because the vineyards aren’t tilled. Tilling not only exposes the soil to sunlight, but it also destroys everything that’s growing in the ground, says Evers. Not tilling creates an opportunity for the understory to thrive.
Oak Ridge Winery in Lodi, CA, farms all of its 2,500 acres of vineyards in accordance with Lodi Rules; a third-party certified program created for the Lodi Appellation. The program signifies a commitment to rigorous, scientifically sound sustainable winegrowing.
Another certified sustainable vineyard is Donnafugata in Sicily, Italy. “Donnafugata has the ‘SOStain’ certification that is showcased on the labels of our bottles,” says CEO/co-owner José Rallo.
This certification is given by the SOStain Foundation according to the SOStain program for Sicilian Sustainable viticulture. The program includes a disciplinary consisting of 10 minimum requirements, Rallo says, some of which include not using chemical herbicides, biodiversity, using energy efficient technologies and keeping the wine bottles under a certain weight.
Greener Packaging
Beginning with the 2023 vintage, Donnafugata bottles its Lighea white wine in the “Cento per Cento Sicilia” (100% Sicily) Burgundy bottle, “so-called because it is produced exclusively on the island of Sicily from recycled glass according to a virtuous circular economy model promoted by Fondazione SOStain and implemented by O-I Glass,” Rallo says.
Weighing just 410 grams vs. the 550 of the previous bottles used, the “Cento per Cento Sicilia” bottle is also lighter, “therefore contributing to reducing CO2 emissions and environmental impact over time,” he continues.
There have been exciting developments in lightweight glass molds and alternative materials for wine bottles, says Madison Grace, general manager of Natural Merchants Organic Wine Imports at Amass Brand Group.
“Personally, I favor the 1.5L wine bag,” she says. “It can look quite premium while being significantly lighter than glass, making it more sustainable to transport and excellent at protecting the wine from oxygen. As consumer preferences evolve and sustainability concerns grow, these innovations may very well reshape how we package and enjoy wine in the coming years.”
Grocer store chain Albertsons Companies recently debuted Bee Lightly, the newest addition to its Own Brands wine portfolio, featuring the first flat, 100% recycled PET wine bottles in the U.S. The new packaging is 87% lighter than traditional glass bottles, allows twice as many products to be transported per pallet and has a smaller environmental footprint compared to conventional wine bottles by reducing transportation-related emissions, according to the company.
Grocer store chain Albertsons Companies recently debuted Bee Lightly, the newest addition to its Own Brands wine portfolio, featuring the first flat, 100% recycled PET wine bottles in the U.S.
Sun Moon Rising, an astrology-inspired sustainable wine brand in New York, uses Stelvin screw caps for their wine bottles. “We find that this is more sustainable these days instead of using cork,” says cofounder Kate Webb.
While Avivo still uses corks to bottle their wine, Evers notes that they have begun eliminating the caps covering the top of the bottle, starting with the 2023 harvest.
“You have to start asking why we do certain things, right? We used to use capsules because the wines were stored in a cellar that was damp and cool,” he says.
“Now, the bottle just needs to live long enough to get from the store to your house and then you’re going to drink it. It doesn’t need a capsule — it’s a throwaway item.”
Harnessing the Power of the Sun
Paso Robles, CA-based Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s solar array offsets 1,210 metric tons of carbon emissions annually and recaptures 4.4 million pounds of CO2 yearly, the company states. By 2025, the solar arrays will power 60% of the brewery, generating 5 million kilowatt hours annually.
“Although technology is constantly improving the brewing process and efficiency, it is merely incremental, principally because brewers have been focused on these sustainable processes for centuries,” says Firestone Walker cofounder David Walker.
“That said, any new technology adds to an already heavy capital burden that an Old World production format like a brewer demands,” he continues. “The brewery needs to be financially healthy and working within its limits to afford some of these innovations. There needs to be a culture and commitment to reducing waste and repurposing materials such that long-term investments are supported.”
Going beyond solar panels, Aspen Vodka Distillery in Colorado is the first distillery in the world to obtain the LEEDv4 BD+C Platinum certification, which is awarded to buildings that meet high standards addressing carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health and indoor environmental quality.
“We implement sustainable practices throughout the 18,000-square-foot distillery, which stands on a rehabilitated former lumber yard, where the land and surrounding soil have been revitalized,” says Aspen Vodka founder Matt Patel. He explains that “105% of the energy is supplied by a combination of on and off-site solar and battery storage, generating more renewable energy than consumed.”
Additionally, the energy-neutral, on-site wastewater treatment generates zero carbon emissions and improves water quality, with 100% of the distilling process wastewater treated before being returned to the Roaring Fork River.
“Now in full operation, the distillery shows a 26% reduction in embodied carbon through a whole building life cycle assessment,” Patel says.
Sun Moon Rising wine partners with two sustainable vineyards in New York, one of them being Heron Hill Winery in Hammondsport. “They are a solar powered winery and have a variety of green initiatives,” says Webb.
Sun Moon Rising wine partners with two sustainable vineyards in New York, one of them being Heron Hill Winery in Hammondsport. “They are a solar powered winery and have a variety of green initiatives,” says cofounder Kate Webb.
For example, Heron Hill uses “tartrate inhibitors as opposed to using energy for cooling and chilling,” according to Webb. The winery also utilizes a composting system to recycle all the waste from the grapes.
Since its inception in 1980, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. has been sustainably brewing its beer. “It’s less about how much is sustainable and more about just continuing to build and grow off of what we’ve done in previous years,” says Mandi McKay, director of sustainability and social responsibility for the brewery.
For example, 20 to 30 years ago, Sierra Nevada Brewing was more focused on producing zero waste, “such as traditional recycling, water reduction and energy efficiency,” according to McKay. While the brewery has maintained those values, over the years, it has expanded its sustainability practices to include reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Greenhouse gas emissions come in three different scopes: operational emissions, energy emissions and then the emissions from everything up or downstream from your operation,” explains McKay.
“So reducing emissions will look different for each of those scopes, but in general, we try to come up with different fuel sources, create more renewable energy on site, try different transportation options or electrify our fleet to reduce fossil fuel consumption.”
Krystina Skibo is the Trade Managing Editor at Beverage Dynamics. Reach her at kskibo@epgacceleration.com. Read her recent piece, What’s Driving U.S. Beer Sales in 2024?
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