BetterBev - A Green Craft Beverage Recognition Program Launches in New England

Introduced by Coalition of New England States with Support from the Environmental Protection Agency

A coalition of New England states announced the BetterBev Green Craft Beverage Recognition Program, a sustainability initiative funded in part by grants from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Pollution Prevention (P2) Program.

BetterBev was created to help beverage producers throughout New England fully understand their environmental practices, principles, and impact, with the goal of reducing production inefficiencies, improving health and safety, and conserving natural resources. Participating companies drive their continuous improvement by tracking waste generation and measuring the use of energy, water, and material inputs. For beverage producers that invest time and resources in sustainable practices, BetterBev will help them gain efficiencies, reduce costs, and receive recognition as a “green” business.

New England is a craft beverage powerhouse with one of the highest concentrations of craft breweries in the country. According to the Brewers Association, the region is home to over 600 craft breweries, not including other craft beverage producers such as distilleries, wineries, cideries, and meaderies. While these businesses create jobs, boost tourism, and promote economic development, they also use resources intensively. Breweries constantly heat, cool, and clean their operations, presenting excellent opportunities for cost savings. Similarly, side-streaming, reuse, and recycling strategies can minimize the environmental impact of spent grains, wastewater discharge, and packaging. 

“We must constantly assess the impact our actions have on the environment, so we believe a beverage producer’s focus should be on continual improvement,” explained Luke Truman, Sustainability Coordinator for the Craft Beverage Sector Program at the New England Environmental Finance Center, located at the University of Southern Maine. “We’re grading ourselves against a constantly moving target, so we created the BetterBev program with a mindset of consistent effort, striving for improvement over time.”

Since 2022, the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island have received funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to establish Pollution Prevention (P2) technical assistance initiatives that help craft beverage producers improve their environmental performance. State-based Technical Assistance Providers (TAPs) have reached out to hundreds of craft beverage manufacturers to assess their production practices and provided recommendations to improve process efficiencies. Some states built very effective initiatives around these efforts, such as the New Hampshire Sustainable Craft Beverage recognition program (NHSCB) run by its Department of Environmental Services.

In 2023, building on the success of the NHSCB, state P2 programs decided to launch a sustainability recognition program for craft beverage producers throughout all of New England. This regional approach, which grew into BetterBev, has the potential to increase visibility, drive business participation, and disseminate environmental best practices.

“We were all moving in the same direction, working on similar initiatives, so it only made sense to partner and work together,” added Kathy Black, Pollution Prevention Program Manager for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. “The BetterBev Program amplifies the work each state is doing and raises awareness about how businesses can care for the environment and worker’s health and safety while making tasty craft beverages.”

BetterBev recognition can be earned after a beverage producer’s state oversight organization works with them to perform an audit and assessment of their environmental practices and impact. The audit and assessment covers 10 performance criteria:

• Environmentally responsible sourcing

• Water usage

• Wastewater reduction

• Stormwater management

• Energy efficiency and conservation

• CO2 use and emissions

• Cleaning and sanitizing

• Waste reduction

• Packaging format and materials

• Environmental culture
  

Beverage producers reaching specific performance thresholds over the ten areas will earn the BetterBev recognition. Those that don’t reach the required thresholds will be supported by their state oversight organization and receive the technical assistance necessary to improve their performance and receive recognition. The goal of the BetterBev program is to place every business on the path of continuous improvement, even if they are beginners looking for some basic tips or high achievers that want to invest in the latest green technologies.

The oversight organizations responsible for managing the BetterBev program in their respective state are:

• Connecticut: Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

• Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts Boston

• Maine: New England Environmental Finance Center at the University of Southern Maine

• New Hampshire: Pollution Prevention Program at the Department of Environmental Services

• Rhode Island: Department of Environmental Management

• Vermont: New England Environmental Finance Center at the University of Southern Maine
  

To learn more about the BetterBev Green Craft Beverage Recognition Program, including how a producer can participate, visit the BetterBev program page at www.betterbev.org.

About BetterBev

The BetterBev program is managed by a group of state and university environmental organizations that provide a free sustainability assessment to craft beverage producers in New England, including but not limited to breweries, wineries, and distilleries. The goal of the program is to help companies improve environmental performance, reduce operational costs, and build recognition from peers and customers. Companies that meet the BetterBev sustainability criteria are eligible for BetterBev recognition, which includes a certificate, window signage, use of the BetterBev logo, and inclusion on a BetterBev map. Learn more at www.betterbev.org.

Here’s how Massachusetts breweries are going green

The MBG and the Eco-Friendly Beer Drinker support sustainability efforts with a two-year grant from the EPA.

Rob Vandenabeele lives every day like it’s Earth Day. 

Cofounder of the local blog Mass. Brew Bros. and a longtime public school teacher, Vandenabeele has combined his love for craft beer and the environment in a new way. After earning a certificate in Sustainability from Harvard Extension School, Vandenabeele—aka the Eco-Friendly Beer Drinker—is now the field manager of a grant-funded program helping Massachusetts breweries prevent waste and reduce their energy usage, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Brewers Guild and UMass Boston’s Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness.

Since October, Vandenabeele has visited 19 Bay State breweries and counting, to show small businesses how they can become greener—and save money in the process. Thanks to a Pollution Prevention Grant funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, Vandenabeele’s expertise is available to any Massachusetts brewery for at least the next 18 months, at no cost to business owners. Vandenabeele can come in to assess a brewery’s operations, and make recommendations about ways it could become more efficient. He’ll connect business owners with networks and resources to help them achieve their sustainability goals.

“It takes time. It takes effort. It takes knowledge,” Vandenabeele says, and he understands small business owners are already stretched thin. “Why the EPA gave us this grant is because we can go into a business” and inform them about their many options.

These days, due to the state’s ban on organic waste, breweries are likely already recycling their spent grains. They’re probably already collecting and reusing PakTechs. But what are some other ways this industry can become more environmentally friendly? 

Well, Vandenabeele is glad you asked.

Harnessing Renewable Energy

You don’t have to install your own solar panels or wind turbines to use renewable energy. Vandenabeele understands that infrastructural upgrades can be cost prohibitive, or even impossible for some breweries that don’t own their own facilities. 

There are some that are doing it, of course:

• Barrington Brewery and Restaurant was the first in Massachusetts to invest in an on-site solar array. 

• Riverwalk Brewing in Newburyport leases space in a large building with a 500-kilowatt solar array on the roof and also has a wind turbine. The brewery draws 100% of the energy it uses from on-site renewables.

• 7th Wave Brewing in Medfield owns its own building (which also houses 10 other businesses, including a distillery and a sake brewery). A 500-kilowatt solar array on the roof produces more power than the building uses—so not only does the brewery not have an electricity bill to pay, but it actually collects a check each month from Eversource.

But those are examples of the gold standard. Vandenabeele wants every brewery (and private citizen!) to know about how easy it can be to invest in renewable energy through purchase power agreements.

With a PPA, customers buy electricity from a third-party contractor, which works with other providers of renewable energy—be it solar, wind, hydro, etc. “Someone else is doing all the work” to set up the source of power, Vandenabeele explains, while the brewery’s electricity-bill money is, “in essence, going to increase the infrastructure for renewable power.”

For developers of renewable power sources, it can be lucrative, because federal and state governments are incentivizing purchase power agreements. But PPAs can also save money for energy users. Amherst Brewing Company’s five Hangar Pub restaurants, Coastal Mass. Brewing Co., Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Co., Fieldcrest Brewing Co., Lost Shoe Brewing & Roasting Co., Moby Dick Brewing Co., and Pioneer Valley Brewing Co., have all tied to community solar through associate member of the MBG, East Coast Renewable Energy. Participants are expected to save 10% on their electric bills through the program. 

There's no investment required whatsoever to participate in a PPA—and in fact, most agreements offer a discount because of the environmental benefits. Check out the state’s website about purchase power agreements to learn about the options, or get in touch with East Coast Renewable Energy for a free evaluation. 

Reducing Organic Waste

Until the U.S. tackles the problem of food waste—which sees nearly 40% end up in landfills annually—Vanguard Renewables is stepping in with a solution. 

The Agawam-based company collects organic waste such as spent grains, food scraps, and even out-of-code beer and turns it into methane gas, which can be used for energy, through a controlled process called anaerobic digestion. If this waste ends up in a landfill, it also becomes methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to increased atmospheric warming and climate change. 

An associate member of the MBG, Vanguard Renewables is already working with numerous Massachusetts breweries, including Berkshire Brewing Company, Riverwalk, Jack’s Abby, Tree House, Wachusett Brewing, and White Lion. In 2022, the company recycled nearly 11,000 tons of brewery waste, mitigating about 6,350 tons of carbon dioxide. That’s equivalent to planting more than 100,000 trees. The renewable energy produced by anaerobically digesting that waste is capable of fueling a city bus for over 1,000,000 miles, according to Vanguard.

While methane gas is still a fossil fuel, harnessing it in a controlled way, from rescued organic waste, is a more environmentally friendly source of it than fracking is, Vandenabeele notes.

Sourcing Local Ingredients

Supporting your local brewery feels great—but how local is that beer, really? In reality, the grain base probably grew in the Midwest or Canada, and the hops were likely flown in from the Pacific Northwest. “There are substantial emissions involved with that delivery,” Vandenabeele says.

Using locally grown ingredients achieves two major goals: One, it cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions associated with shipping materials, and two, it supports the local economy. More demand for New England-grown ingredients “creates new opportunities for local farmers to consider a whole new crop,” Vandenabeele says.

CraftRoots Brewing is unique in sourcing all the malt it uses from New England craft maltsters, as well as the majority of its hops from a family farm in Western Mass. Redemption Rock in Worcester, the first Massachusetts craft brewery to become a certified B Corp; Wormtown, Lamplighter, Trillium, and Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Co. have also all produced exclusively local products.

“They’re putting their money where their mouth is,” he says. “If you’re a farmer thinking about growing barley or wheat, you need to have an end-market to sell it to. So if Lamplighter says, ‘We’ll take as much as we can get from you,’ that’s huge.”

The Northeast Grainshed Alliance was founded in 2020 to increase demand for Northeast grains. It promotes networking and collaboration between local growers, processors, and makers; and it increases understanding about the value of regional grains through various communications and policy advocacy strategies. The SQFT Project, for example, is a tool makers can use to calculate the square footage of farmland involved in making a product, and features a logo signifying the product’s commitment.

“For consumers, you should buy that beer if you care about the environment,” Vandenabeele says. If a beer touts 100% local hops or malt—even a one-time, special release—“that’s serious dedication by that brewery.”

Creating a sustainable culture

Portico Brewing, which recently opened its first taproom in Somerville after years as a contract brand, has hit the ground running with plans for sustainability, says Vandenabeele, who helped the company apply for and receive a grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection. The MassDEP Reduce, Reuse, Repair Micro-Grant provides recipients up to $5,000 to establish waste reduction projects. Portico is using its grant to help pay for reusable silverware, plates, bowls, trays, and stainless steel cups for its taproom and in-house kitchen, in an effort to have zero waste. 

The new brewery at Boynton Yards is also working to become a certified bike-friendly business, and is establishing partnerships with local conservation groups like the Charles River Watershed Association, the Somerville Urban Forestry Division, and the Great Massachusetts Cleanup. Portico also has its sights set on becoming the first Massachusetts brewery to become a member of 1% For the Planet, a non-profit organization that encourages all kinds of businesses to donate a percent of gross sales to environmental causes.

Sure, Portico has the clean slate of its first brick-and-mortar—but well-established breweries can make these changes, too. Vandenabeele, the MBG, and our partners at UMass Boston are excited to show you how.

To learn more and set up a sustainability evaluation at your brewery, email the Eco-Friendly Beer Drinker today. Happy Earth Day!

Breweries are Working to Make Super Bowl Sunday Greener in Massachusetts

Beer Me: Breweries in New England are Leading the Charge on Sustainability

Boston, Ma. (February 10, 2022)... Breweries across New England are stepping up to help fight climate change, and this weekend is no different. Super Bowl Sunday is not just a day for football in America; it’s one of the days that Americans consume the most beer - approximately 325 million gallons. Yet, all that beer creates a lot of waste that gets sent to landfills or dumped down the drain. Vanguard Renewables in Massachusetts believes that waste is only waste if you waste it - they can recycle that waste and harness it to make renewable energy.

“We work with some of New England's top micro-breweries to recycle their waste - like the spent grains and liquids that are produced from the brewing process,” said Neil H. Smith, CEO of Vanguard Renewables. “The demand for beer on this singular weekend is not new; however, with many brewers choosing to be more sustainable, we provide them with the circular solution they need to recycle their waste. Instead of sending waste byproducts to landfills or incinerators, we help them recycle the material by capturing the methane they emit as they break down and turn that into renewable energy.”

The company has been working with small and large breweries across the region to help Vanguard's Farm Powered mission to turn food waste and dairy cow manure into renewable energy. The company provides a circular solution for these breweries - from farm to kettle to keg, and back to one of New England’s family farms to help create pipeline-quality renewable natural gas that goes on to power our farms, colleges, businesses, and towns across the region.

Noah Bogoff from Berkshire Brewing Company said: “Our family brewery is committed to sustainability, and recycling our waste to create renewable energy is one of the ways that we reach that goal. We are proud to be part of the Vanguard Renewables Farm Powered movement, so much so that we put the Farm Powered logo on every can we distribute. It’s an important way that we demonstrate to our customers that we are committed to doing our part.” 

The waste from Vanguard’s partner breweries is collected and brought to one of their six anaerobic digestion facilities in Massachusetts and Vermont, where it's then added to a state-of-the-art hydrolyzer before entering the anaerobic digestion process to create renewable energy. The waste supplied by brewery partners not only helps to produce renewable natural gas, but the byproducts of the anaerobic digestion process also make high-quality bedding for farm animals and a low-carbon and nearly odorless liquid fertilizer to use on their fields.

Nate Lanier, the Co-founder and Head Brewer of Tree House Brewing Company, said: “Working with Vanguard has enabled us to abide by our ethos of environmental responsibility while bringing a benefit to local farmers - it was a no-brainer for us to work with them. They are passionate about what they do, and it shows.”

Vanguard Renewables not only works with Tree House Brewing Company and Berkshire Brewing Company but also with Wachusett Brewing Company to take their organic waste. By collecting the brewer’s spent grains and other byproducts, Vanguard Renewables collaborates with their partners to help reduce their CO2 emissions and help keep the region’s family farmers in business.

Breweries are thinking more and more about what they can do to make a change to be sustainable, reduce their CO2 emissions, and dispose of their spent waste in a way that is good for the environment and keeps that waste out of our landfills and waterways.

Last spring, researchers at  Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Virginia Tech) submitted a research paper to the American Chemical Society that shed light on the growing need for beer companies to explore sustainability options. They shared their findings on separating beer waste into proteins for foods and fiber for biofuels.

The paper noted that due to the high demand for craft brewing in the U.S. market, there had been a significant increase in waste byproducts from breweries. They further shared that this waste comprises 85% spent grains, up to 30% protein, and up to 70% fiber.

“Craft breweries care deeply about their communities, environment and supporting our local farmers. Beer is an agricultural product. There’s no beer without farms. Anything that we can do to lessen waste, protect our planet and aid our farmers is a win-win,” says Katie Stinchon, executive director of the Mass Brewers Guild.

New England is no stranger to the craft beer industry, with small and large breweries opening up across the region. The Brewers Association For Small and Independent Craft Brewers noted that in 2020 there were nearly 700 craft breweries in operation in the New England region alone, and there are more still opening every year. That’s a lot of waste being created.

Smith continued: “Companies across all sectors are becoming motivated to move towards sustainable practices, and the commercial brewing industry is no different. It’s been exciting to see how local New England breweries are leading the way in recycling their organic waste and other materials as part of their long-range sustainability goals.”

Vanguard Renewables’ brewery partners are not just doing good for the environment, but they are helping the region's family farmers save money on fertilizers, energy, and bedding. It’s a win for all. 

About Vanguard Renewables
Vanguard Renewables is a national leader in developing food and dairy waste-to-renewable energy projects. The Company is committed to advancing decarbonization by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farms and food waste and supporting regenerative agriculture on partner farms. Vanguard co-founded the industry-leading Farm Powered Strategic Alliance (FPSA) alongside food industry leaders Dairy Farmers of America, Unilever, and Starbucks to develop a circular solution for food waste reduction and recycling and decarbonization of manufacturing and the supply chain. The Company owns and operates six on-farm anaerobic digester facilities in the northeast and plans to expand to more than 100 sites nationwide by 2025. Established relationships and renewable natural gas offtake agreements with national utilities including Dominion Energy, Enbridge, ONE Gas, National Grid, and Eversource, and its strategic alliance with Dairy Farmers of America, position the Company to significantly increase U.S. production and delivery of renewable natural gas to commercial and residential customers across the country. To learn more about Vanguard Renewables, FarmPowered organic waste solutions, the FPSA and its members, and Vanguard’s numerous awards and recognitions, visit the website.

Vanguard Renewables Media Room
https://vanguardrenewables.com/vanguard-renewables-media-room

Vanguard Renewables Media Contacts
Billy Kepner 
bkepner@vanguardrenewables.com 
(607) 331-9806