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 benchmarking@brewersassociation.org.