Saving the Planet, One Sip at a Time: Vermont Brewers Association’s Commitment to Sustainability
The Vermont Brewers Association is incredibly proud of the work their members do and the education, resources, and time that goes into making Vermont a more sustainable and energy-efficient state.
The Vermont Brewers Association was founded in 1995 to promote and strengthen the culture of craft brewing in Vermont through marketing, education, and advocacy for Vermontmade beer. At VBA we have six active committees that help bring this vision to life. One of those committees is the Sustainability Committee whose mission is to provide outreach and education to guild membership by establishing an archive of information and expertise on brewery sustainability and best management practices. This committee is made up of several breweries leading the sustainability efforts in Vermont.
Switchback Brewing Company is spearheading a recycling program in the state of Vermont in collaboration with Amherst Label. They have established their brewery as a community collection point for the clear PET plastic label backing left behind as sticker labels are placed on aluminum cans during the packaging process. Not only has Switchback established themselves as a collection point, but they are working to expand the network of collection points as well at participating breweries in an effort to reduce the amount of plastic that enters our landfills. They are building and promoting a previously nonexistent infrastructure to ensure that regularly produced waste is directed into the correct waste stream. Their efforts, along with our collaborating breweries, to side-stream an often-overlooked plastic waste is creating the opportunity for circular recycling of plastic label liner in Vermont, ensuring it is given life beyond single-use applications. Switchback is currently accepting donations of label liner (backing) from various breweries and other related businesses. Contact sustainability @switchbackvt.com for more information or to get involved.
Sustainability is a core tenet of the work at Zero Gravity. They prioritize partnering with proactive environmental organizations and setting sustainable goals for their own business. Zero Gravity aims not only to bring people beautifully balanced beer from the Green Mountain State but also to protect the landscape that serves as the background of our community. The brewery strives to bring the environment to the forefront of their decisions and to continue to grow and improve this business sector. An on-site anaerobic digester in the brewery treats wastewater and organic solids, eliminating the costly need to truck waste offsite for treatment. The digester also produces energy to nearly run its entire facility. Zero Gravity eliminates waste by recycling grain bags, plastic wrap, and strapping. Each month, $1 from every Green State Lager sold in their taproom benefits a different environmental organization. They also offer their customers the opportunity to donate to the organization of the month. Green State for Good is one way to support the groups that keep our natural world safe. As a 1% for the Planet member, Zero Gravity has committed to donating 1 percent of sales from 12-packs of our Green State Lager and 1 percent of sales from their bottled beers to environmental causes.
At Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, sustainability and efficiency have been key factors in their decision-making process since before breaking ground on their facility in July 2020. The operation houses a brewery, distillery, and full-scale restaurant. By sharing resources between the three branches of the facility, Black Flannel is able to maximize efficiency and increase output. The biggest advantage is the cooling system that uses a state-of-the-art glycol chiller with patented high-efficiency hybrid refrigeration technology by Dodge Engineering. All glycol piping has been installed using Cool-Fit ABS Plus, which is the industry gold standard for efficiency and sustainability. The chiller also uses floating head pressure technology to leverage the cold Vermont weather and to increase efficiency. They are able to cool all their tanks (19 between the brewery and distillery), walk-in coolers, and draft system using a single compressor and glycol loop that reduces energy consumption and decreases the risk of refrigerant leaks. In addition to their high-efficiency equipment, they recycle or reuse as much material as possible. This includes PET label backing, grain bags, stretch films, and can-carriers (paktech). They participate in the can carrier recycling program from EcoFriendlyBeer and Reusable Solutions. As of fall 2021, 100 percent of all can carriers used for canning are collected, sanitized, and reused through this statewide program. Find out more about Black Flannel’s sustainability at www.blackflannel.com/our-culture/
The Vermont Brewers Association is incredibly proud of the work their members do and the education, resources, and time that goes into making Vermont a more sustainable and energy-efficient state. Cheers to Vermont beer!
