Introduction/Summary of Situation
The production of craft beer is waste intensive, with a typical brewery dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of high strength wastewater and tens of thousands of pounds of organic waste, primarily spent grain, annually. Many breweries have found innovative measures for reducing or reusing such inefficiencies and byproducts, but single-use plastic waste has seen little improvement at most facilities.
When Untold Brewing’s head brewer and sustainability lead Pete Weafer joined the production team, he helped identify two areas (packaging and distribution) where he felt reuse and process change could decrease plastic consumption and save money. With the help of a Reduce, Reuse and Repair Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), he piloted both ideas in a collaborative effort that included brewery staff, distribution partners, and many of Untold’s own customers.
Incentives to Change
Having earned a master’s degree in sustainability science from Unity Environmental University, Weafer knew the ecological harm caused by the proliferation of single-use plastic in manufacturing and packaging and its abysmal recycling rates. He also knew that its convenience of use was a poor excuse for its wastefulness, and for the image Untold’s packaging was projecting to its consumers.
Almost daily use of disposable stretch wrap – not easily recyclable because it can’t be sorted at materials recovery facilities (MRFs) – for canned or kegged beer deliveries was filling up the dumpster every week and leading to frequent and expensive pickups by its waste hauler. And when Untold’s 4-packs of canned beer reached retail outlets packaged in plastic can carriers, eco-conscious consumers were irritated with the problem of how to properly dispose of the difficult-to-recycle packaging.
Innovative Strategies and Solutions
To keep stretch wrap from piling up in the dumpster, Weafer used some of the funds from the MassDEP grant to purchase several reusable pallet wraps from Re-USA-Wraps. Whenever a pallet of packaged beer was going to be moved internally or loaded onto a truck for distribution, a Re-USA-Wrap was used to secure it. The goal was to cut back or eliminate the need for disposable stretch wrap all together and, if the wraps proved durable enough, to save money in the long run.
A second goal was to let consumers know they could be part of the solution to the can carrier problem by returning them to the brewery for cleaning and reuse. To get the word out, Untold implemented a take-back program with a consumer facing collection bin in its taproom and used its social media channels to promote it. If successful, the program had the potential to win consumer sentiment regarding the responsible use of plastic and save the brewery thousands in packaging cost.
Lessons and Results
Re-USA-Wraps: After a brief trial and error period for learning to properly apply them, the production team found that it took less time and effort than stretch wrap, especially when two crew members worked together. For internal moves within the brewery, they worked as well or better than disposable stretch wrap, required no additional time or labor, proved to be suitably durable, and paid for itself in just 60 uses, a time period of well under a year for a typical small brewery with 3,000 bbls or less of annual production. Distribution use proved considerably more challenging due to the complication of delivery logistics but could prove beneficial for distribution companies willing to pilot the concept.
The can carrier take-back and reuse program required little to no monetary investment and proved to be even more lucrative. Though it required a few hours of weekly time and labor for taproom staff (inspecting, sorting, dishwasher loading and unloading), the savings in packaging cost far outweighed any additional wages paid. Additionally, the program proved to be very popular with customers, and while no data was gathered to specifically measure consumer sentiment, it’s probable that it increased Untold Brewing’s brand affinity with eco-conscious beer consumers.
| P2 Action | Investment | ROI / Cost Savings | P2 Results |
| Replace stretch wrap with reusable pallet wrap | Approximately $170 for 2 Re-USA-Wraps (1 full size for cans and 1 half size for kegs) | Payback period of 60 uses / less than 1 year, ~$212 in annual savings thereafter | Avoided 16,000 ft stretch wrap / 106 lbs of plastic, .08 MTCO2E of emissions |
| Consumer take-back program for can carrier reuse | Approximately 3 hrs of weekly labor for taproom workers to inspect, sort, load and unload dishwasher | No initial cost other than a collection bin or box, $4,200 in annual savings | Avoided 25,000 can carriers / 793 lbs of plastic, or .57 MTCO2E of emissions |
Combined, Untold Brewing’s annual reduction in plastic consumption prevents 0.65 metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E) emissions, which according to the EPA Waste Reduction Model or WARM tool is comparable to conserving 30 cylinders of propane.
Established in 2017, Untold Brewing is a leading independent craft brewery based in Scituate, MA. Founded by town native, Matt Elder, the brewery has grown to regional attention, with their focus on clean, high-quality ales and lagers. Their production brewery features a renovated 1852 one-room schoolhouse as a taproom, plus a production space, patio and lawn just steps from the Greenbush commuter rail station and historic Scituate Harbor. Beyond producing award winning beer, Untold is committed to sustainable environmental practices, has been recognized as a “green beverage producer” by BetterBev, and collaborates with local non-profits to raise funds and awareness for important causes.