Canadian Brewers are committed to environmental stewardship throughout the brewing process. Many of our members are heavily involved in a variety of conservation projects ranging from Labatt's "Fresh Water Alliance" program which aims to preserve Canada's watersheds or Molson Coors "Power to Make a Difference" initiative which intends to reduce their energy usage by 5%.
Our members have also received numerous awards for their sustainability practices and improvements. The industry continues to invest heavily in new, more efficient technology that will ultimately improve energy and water usage, as well as the amount of materials required for packaging.
Canadian brewers have access to the best water in the world. This water is at the heart of why Canadian beer is world renowned. Our members therefore understand the importance of preserving this vital resource. Over time, brewers have consistently improved their efficient use of water, due in large part to advanced technology and production practices.
Capital investment as well as employee awareness programs have enabled breweries to cut their water use by more than half over the last decade. Currently, industry leaders are conducting eco-efficiency audits identifying ways to further reduce water consumption, including the installation of automatic shut off valves on high pressure hoses.
Energy efficiency in Canadian breweries has improved over time. Between1990 and 2007, the amount of energy used in the production of beer decreased by 47%. These improvements have been a direct result of better production practices, more efficient technology and a switch to renewable energy by many.
Many of our breweries have also received awards for energy initiatives. Moosehead Brewery was recognized by the Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC) as an industrial energy innovator.
Moosehead's energy saving initiatives helped preserve 236 tera joules of energy. That is enough to run the brewery for one and a half years!
The brewing industry has a number of recycling programs which significantly impact the return rate on cardboard as well as other materials. For instance The Beer Store was able to recover over 26,000 tonnes of cardboard in 2010 with a focus on re-capturing materials already present in a product life cycle.
Among industry accolades, Sleeman Breweries' received an award in recognition of its environmentally sustainable practices. It received this award for choosing to use recycled, sustainable corrugated products for its containers outer packaging and inserts. It is estimated that Sleeman helped preserve over 36,000 mature trees, which represents the diversion of 61 truckloads or 1,517 tonnes of waste otherwise destined for landfill.