Beverage World - October 15, 2007 - (Page 26)

COVERSTORY Facility Expansion, Carbon Footprint Reduction Four months ago, New Belgium opened the doors of its just-completed system. (See sidebar on Page 25.) US$26 million, 55,000-square-foot (gargantuan, by craft brewing stanBut even beyond the technology, it employs susdards) bottling and packaging facility that doubles its bottling capacitainable practices in the not-so-obvious parts of the ty to 850,000 barrels a year and is on the cutting edge of green buildoperation. Besides the aforementioned shipping-tube ing techniques. supported desks (the tops of which, by the way, also Green highlights include: are made from recycled materials), the carpeting in • Primary daytime illuminaits offices is leased from eco-conscious InterfaceFlor, tion provided by skylights, Inc., a division of the Atlanta, Ga., USA-based solar tubes and windows. Interface, Inc. The carpeting is composed of modular • Water reuse — Water pieces that are returned to the manufacturer to be that’s initially used to rinse reused, rather than discarded. the insides of bottles is again In the tasting room, tabletops are made from old used on the final exterior rinse conveyor parts and barstools are constructed from old and also provides the water bicycle wheel rims. And its facility’s wood trim is the for the vacuum pump seal. product of trees killed in the eco-system by beetles. • Lighting controls that optiIt’s not difficult for New Belgium to make a case for mize the use of energy-efficient T-5 lights and daylighting. its sustainability because the brewery has demonstrat• A Freon-free HVAC system that employs displacement-ventilation ed that it is, indeed, possible to have the best of both technology and direct/indirect cooling. Its cooling towers treat water worlds: a dramatically smaller carbon footprint and without chemicals. a highly profitable business. The key is to approach • An exterior sidewalk made from porous concrete. it as a long-term commitment with long-term results. • Landscaping based on composting, minimal water use and other “I think what’s difficult in a lot of corporate-run comearth-friendly principles. panies is that [their focus] is a very short-term ROI,” says • A parking lot in front of the building reserved for carpools, bikes New Belgium CFO Christine Perich. “And if you can’t and alternative vehicles. make that ROI, it’s off the table.” Perich should know, Other facility highlights include: since she’s a refugee from corporate America (or, as she • State-of-the-art electronic filler that uses an electronic sensor to says, “from the land of CPAs”). “But at New Belgium, we gauge precisely when a bottle has been perfectly topped. look at what’s our impact on our planet long-term, • Robotic case palletizer. what’s our footprint going to be,” she adds. “We’re look• Loose-case packing equipment that wraps bottles snugly to preing out much further than many companies. Those vent damage during delivery. ROIs are there, you just have to be a little more patient.” • Computer-monitored line for optimal quality control. The fact that many others in the beverage business increasingly are pondering their own eco-impact is a testament to the practices that New Belgium has had in place acknowledging that reducing one’s footprint is an ongoing since day one. “I think it’s encouraging to see that more and process of constant improvement. But that’s a journey on which more businesses are saying ‘there’s a role for us to play in look- the brewery wants others to follow, so environmental advocacy ing at our environmental footprint,’” Jordan offers. “You hope is very much a part of its branding efforts. Many of those are other businesses will begin to evolve in their practices because detailed at its microsite, followyourfolly.com—based on the it’s a good thing to do. We do the sustainable things we do statement, “Follow Your Folly,” the brewer’s philosophical rallybecause we think we should and that’s part of the beauty of ing cry. (By New Belgium’s definition, “folly is freeing. Folly being a privately held company—you can choose what it is you laughs at the staus quo… It’s living like there is a tomorrow.”) want to do with profits. Followyourfolly.com features videos that showcase the “For us to be able to say what we’re going to do with profits efforts of groups and individuals who are following their own is at least in some part to buy technology and bring in pracfollies and striving to make the world a little bit better. Follies tices that shrink our footprint,” she continues. “That’s very coninclude that of a group dedicated to preserving Colorado’s sistent with who we want to be.” Cache la Poudre River—so much so that they strip to the buff New Belgium earned its reputation for environmental for their cause. Another features the High Country stewardship much more through its actions than its words. Conservation Center in Summit County, Colo., USA, among Indeed, its executives and even its marketing department whose varied eco-activities is a fashion show of outfits made aren’t big on boasting about the brewery’s green efforts. from a range of recycled materials (including bottle caps!). Quite the contrary, actually. One banner that the brewery The site also has an application for Team Wonder Bike, uses in the trade reads “We’re New Belgium and We Pollute,” whose members promise to ride their bikes to work at least 26_BEVERAGE WORLD_OCTOBER 2007 BEVERAGEWORLD.COM http://Followyourfolly.com http://www.beverageworld.com/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Beverage World - October 15, 2007

Beverage World - October 15, 2007 Table of Contents Global Recycling Trends Editor’s Note CCE’s Recycling Initiative New Beverages: VeeV New Beverage Roundup Market Metrics: Green-Minded Consumers Cover Story: Earth’s Brewer Adina World Beat Beverages • Fetzer Vineyards Kim Jeffery, Nestlé Waters North America Sambazon Icelandic Water Holdings John Compton, PepsiCo North America Dennis Puffer, Coors Brewing Co. ITO EN Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. • Cuca Fresca Exports Jeff Seabright, The Coca-Cola Company Mendocino Wine Co. Doug Muhleman, Anheuser-Busch Seth Goldman, Honest Tea Supply Chain: Waste Management Production: Environmental Operations Operations Observations Packaging: Lightweight Bottles Trendspotting R&D: Eco Beverages • Ask the Expert Sales & Marketing: Green POS Materials Distribution: Green Fleets Distribution: Fleet of the Month: Manhattan Beer Distributors FleetBeat The Beverage World Top 100 Classifieds Ad Index

Beverage World - October 15, 2007

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