Lesson 2 - Environmental Sustainability
In this lesson we will discuss key ways to understand and improve the sustainability of brewery operations. This will include understanding the global context for sustainability, the key environmental sustainability impacts of producing beer and opportunities for improving the sustainability of beer and brewing operations.
How Much Water?
Let us focus again on the brewery itself. The efficiency of water use is measured as hL of water use per hL of beer produced. While a theoretical minimum water use per hL of beer has been calculated as 1.4 hL (water) / hL (beer), realistically, breweries typically use more water than this for each bottle sold, with water use efficiency ranging from 2:1 up to 20:1.
Water consumption figures vary depending on the type of beer, the number of beer brands, the size of brews, the existence of a bottle washer, how the beer is packaged and pasteurised, the age of the installation, and the system used for cleaning. If well water with high mineral or saline content is used, the water may require treatment before use, which may result in losses of up to 30%. Smaller packaging formats, such as bottles, consume more water than kegging. Consumption levels are high for once-through cooling systems and/or losses due to evaporation in hot climates.
The largest water-consuming processes within a brewery are:
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Mashing and sparging
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Cleaning of packaging material (e.g. bottle washing)
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Pasteurisation (tunnel)
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Rinsing and cleaning of process equipment (CIP)
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Cleaning of floors
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Soap lubrication of conveyors in the packaging area
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Flushing and vacuum pump for filler
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Keg washing
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Cooling water
Benchmarking studies: