CSR - New Belgium Sustainability report PDF

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I use the approach of the triple bottom line for this sustainability report. This company has so many potentials in CSR that you can extend even more besides the triple bottom line...

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CSR - New Belgium Brewing Company I. Identify-based brand management approach 1. Brand Identity: 1.1 Brand Origin: Founded by Kim Jordan and Jeff Lebesch in 1991 in Fort Collins, Colorado. New Belgium Brewing Company is a nationally distributed brewery in the United States that is owned by an international beverage conglomerate. New Belgium was acquired by an Australian subsidiary of the Japanese Kirin beverage group, Lion Little World Beverages in 2019. In May 2014, New Belgium began work on a second brewery in Asheville, North Carolina which became fully operational in May 2016. 1.2 Brand mission: To manifest our love and talent by crafting our customers' favorite brands and proving business can be a force for good. 1.3 Brand Competences: sustainability as a DNA of the business 1.4 Brand Values: - Remembering that we are incredibly lucky to create something fine that enhances people's lives while surpassing our consumers' expectations. - Producing world-class beers. - Promoting beer culture and the responsible enjoyment of beer. - Kindling social, environmental and cultural change as a business role model. - Environmental stewardship: Honoring nature at every turn of the business. - Cultivating potential through learning, high involvement culture, and the pursuit of opportunities. - Balancing the myriad needs of the company, our coworkers and their families. - Trusting each other and committing to authentic relationships and communications. - Continuous, innovative quality and efficiency improvements. - Having fun. 1.5 Brand Personality: an environment friendly company pursues for creative activities simply for the joy of doing them well. 1.6 Brand Offers: Fat Tire Amber Ale, Voodoo Ranger IPA, Mural Agua Fresca Cerveza, and La Folie Sour Brown Ale, among other regular and seasonal beer varieties. 2. Brand Image: - Certified B Corporation since 2013, shortly after its official transition to 100% employee ownership. - Certified as America's first carbon neutral beer since 2019 - In 2008, Outside magazine named New Belgium Brewing Company the best place to work in America II.

Three bottom line substainability 1. Environment 1.1 Power: -

In 1998 New Belgium Brewing made it a goal to offset 100% of its electricity through the city's wind-power program. Rather than directly using wind-generated

power, the brewery elects to pay an increased rate for their electrical energy, which is supplied by the City of Fort Collins Utilities to ensure it comes from the cleanest source possible. About 15% of the brewery's power comes from methane gas created as a byproduct of their on-site water treatment plant. An additional 3% comes from a 300 kW solar array on the brewery's packaging hall in Fort Collins. In 2018, New Belgium Brewing was recognized as one of "the 50 most sustainable companies in the world" at the SEAL Business Sustainability Awards. -

The brewery also uses an energy-efficient kettle for the brewing process. The Steinecker Merlin kettle heats twice as quickly by boiling thin sheets of wort in the entire kettle at once. This provides significant savings in natural gas consumption.

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They have successfully achieved the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certificate (LEED) They have come up with a energy pyramid to guide their decisions around enerygy usage at the brewery (which is followed the model of nutrition pyramid) “Energy Conservation” is the base of the pyramid, because the cheapest and most sustainable watt is the one you never use. By shrinking the energy demand first, it will benefit both financial and environmental perspectives

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ENERGY CONSERVATION No matter that NBB can not exclude 100% of unrenewable energy out of their process chain but they have come up with a large number of innovation in energy sustainability .While employing technology to source renewable energy resources is part of the solution, the company have first reduced the need for electricity & natural gas - especially peak hour demand. Through investing in efficient equipment, harvesting waste energy through heat exchangers & energy storage tanks, and designing with conservation in mind, they have been able to greatly decrease the energy needed. DEMAND MANAGEMENT In 2010, NBB installed Smart Grid technology at the Fort Collins brewery. A Smart Grid enables a 2-way flow of both energy and information between us and our utility provider. Thanks to the Smart Grid, we receive notification from our electricity provider when the grid is at peak demand, and can take informed steps like shutting off non-essential power loads for short amount of times to reduce our peak demand & energy costs. For example, we can elect to shut down our building HVAC system for a short period of time on mild weather days without the ambient temperature in the space changing (so our occupants won't even notice the difference).

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This Smart Grid technology was partially funded by the FortZED project, which you can read about at the bottom of this page.

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ON-SITE POWER GENERATION A few different onsite energy generation technologies are employed across our Fort Collins (FTC) and Asheville (AVL) campuses. BIOGAS. At the onsite Process Water Treatment Plant in FTC, microbes clean all of their production waste-water through a series of aerobic and anaerobic basins. A byproduct of this process - methane-rich biogas - is harvested and piped back to the brewery, where it powers two combined heat and power (CHP or co-gen) engines. We're literally turning waste into energy, a great example of a closed-loop system! Our AVL Process Water Treatment Plant is under construction and will also generate biogas.

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SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAICS. We have 1,235 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels covering the roof of our Packaging Hall in FTC. This equates to just about 300 kilowatts of electricity, or roughly 4.5% of our FTC annual electricity needs. Our AVL Liquid Center has a 19 kilowatt PV array adorning its beautiful roof, which helped the building to earn LEEDTM Platinum Certification. What could be better than using sunshine to make Sunshine Wheat beer! https://www.usgbc.org/leed SOLAR THERMAL. A solar hot water system on the roof of our AVL Brewery uses energy from the sun to create hot water which we utilize in domestic applications, like our kitchen and restrooms.

INTERNAL ENERGY TAX Since January of 2013, NBB have taxed themselves on their purchased electricity consumption. This money is reserved for energy efficiency and onsite renewable energy projects here at the brewery that help to directly reduce New Belgium's reliance on fossil fuels. They have been saving up this money for a few years now to invest in some big efficiency improvements to the FTC brewer A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE

WIND POWER & RENEWABLE ENERGY CREDITS: THE HISTORY OF NEW BELGIUM AND GREEN POWER IN FORT COLLINS - In an effort to understand our carbon footprint, New Belgium conducted an energy audit back in 1998 which showed that the single biggest emitter of CO2 in our process was the electricity we used, supplied by coal-burning power plants. As a result, New Belgium employee-owners voted to dip into their bonus pool to subscribe to the City of Fort Collins’ wind program at a premium of 2.5 cents more per kWh than fossil-fueled electricity (at the time, this was 57% more). Thus: New Belgium Brewing became the country’s first brewery to purchase 100% of its electricity from

wind power in 1999. -

Our co-workers still relay the story of the wind-power vote as a personally defining experience that cemented their commitment to NBB and to sustainability. Their enthusiasm put the environmental stewardship value Kim and Jeff committed to during the hike in Rocky Mountain National Park into action in a bonding, memorable, unanimous way.

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When we started purchasing wind power, 100% of it was generated by turbines in Medicine Bow, WY which are tied directly to our grid. The City erected an additional turbine/monopole just to supply New Belgium with our electricity for the next ten years. In fact, our commitment as the single largest subscriber in the program allowed Fort Collins Utilities to become Colorado’s first electric utility to offer wind power. This is an example of “the ripple effect” that we strive to have, finding ways to create a positive impact that ripples throughout our community & supply chain.

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Currently, about 17% of the City of Fort Collins' renewable energy comes from the Medicine Bow wind farm, and the rest comes from wind-generated RECs from Wyoming, Oklahoma and Kansas, as well as landfill gas RECs from Idaho. In 2013, we re-evaluated how we could make the most impact and greatest ripples effect with the dollars we invest in renewable energy, and we made the decision to move away from purchasing RECs and to instead implement our Internal Electricity Tax as a means to invest in future renewable energy and energy efficiency projects directly within our facilities. FortZED Many of our efforts would not have been possible if New Belgium had attempted them alone. We are lucky to have so many talented organizations and institutions in our community whom we get the great opportunity to collaborate with on a regular basis. A prime example of this is FortZED and the Renewable & Distributed Systems Integration project.

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In 2007, New Belgium partnered with the City of Fort Collins, Colorado State University and other energy-focused companies to apply for a grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) to demonstrate a 20-30 percent peak electric load reduction. This collaborative project was the first phase in implementing FortZED, a long term vision for a zero energy district in downtown Fort Collins. (learn more at www.fortzed.com)

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Through the DOE grant, the City and its partners received $6.3 million in federal grant money to research, develop and demonstrate new electric grid technologies. $4.9 million in matching funds, including cash and in-kind services, were also donated by New Belgium and other partners to make this project a reality.

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For New Belgium, this meant installing $3 million in new load-shedding and on-site generation capabilities, funded 50% in house, 25% by the DOE and 25% by in-kind donations. Our vision for this project is to be able to create or shed 1000kW of

electricity - almost our annual peak load - through solar PV, co-generation, metering and controls. 1.2 Water -

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Water is the main ingredient in beer, and a healthy & reliable watershed is something NBB care deeply about, as brewers and community members. As they often stated in their report: “Good water makes for good beer”, they spent a great amount of effort to protect the Cache la Poudre and Colorado Rivers – the 2 mains water source in Fort Collins that feed the 20,000-acre forested watershed providing the water in Asheville. As with all of our sustainability efforts, we believe a responsible approach to water includes both action + advocacy. We take action by working to dial in our efficiency at our two locations. We also think outside our own walls, and advocate for sound policy and programs that will protect our rivers and streams. Water conservation is a metric which can challenge brewers. Hoppier beers, a larger variety of beers overall, and demand for more bottles than kegs have kept their water use ratio right around 4:1 (barrels of water per barrel of beer) in recent years. They have identified some key projects to implement in the coming years (2020 to be more specific) as they strive for a 3.5:1 ratio, including production improvements championed by their brewing team, and testing the reuse of treated process water for industrial applications at our Fort Collins brewery. More About Hops & Water Use Hoppy beers, by nature, can require a bit more water to brew. Put simply, it takes water & energy to extract the good aromas & flavors from hops. Dry hopping, in particular, can increase water intensity in brewing, as there is more movement of beer and more tank cleaning involved in dry-hopped beers, both of which require additional water.

Superhero Horizontal Spacer Water Advocacy WATER + ADVOCACY In order to ensure that the rivers we depend upon to thrive - and make beer - remain healthy, it is important to combine our conservation actions with strong and strategic support of other efforts to protect our waterways. We're all in this together, and we rely upon smart policy and strong non-government initiatives to succeed. Through our Philanthropy and our Advocacy efforts, we support great work that others are doing to protect and restore the waterways we depend upon to brew beer in Colorado and North Carolina. To read a bit more about our Advocacy efforts, check out our Policy page. At New Belgium, we believe in using every tool at our disposal to create the vibrant future we envision for the earth and her inhabitants. In addition to minimizing our resource consumption, collaborating in our value chain, promoting business practices which empower people and create right livelihoods, and a generous philanthropy program, we advocate for environmentally and socially responsible policy. Unfettered capitalism exists only in textbooks. In reality, regulation and legislation set the rules of the game and so can either encourage or thwart corporate and individual behavior. Like the Clean Water Act or Renewable Portfolio Standards, policy is often the only way to create the rapid, large-scale change required to level playing fields and prevent ecological disasters. Here's some examples of the organizations that we engage with to push

forward on issues that are material to us as brewers, and the important work that they are doing!

Superhero Horizontal Spacer C026 POLICY EFFORTS BICEP Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) is an advocacy coalition of businesses committed to working with policy makers to pass meaningful energy and climate legislation. New Belgium supports BICEP because we believe that a low-carbon, 21st century economy will create new jobs and stimulate economic growth while stabilizing our planet’s fragile climate. GRC The Glass Recycling Coalition brings together a diverse membership of companies and organizations to make glass recycling work! GRC's vision is to ensure that all glass containers are continuously recycled to the highest and best use, maximizing economic, environmental and social benefits. We believe in the power of collaboration to strengthen glass recycling, that recycled glass is a high-value material in the circular economy, that recycling is the right and responsible thing to do, and that recycling systems should protect the value of glass. New Belgium proudly co-founded the GRC in 2016. Conservation Colorado Conservation Colorado (CC), formerly know as Colorado Conservation Voters, works to make protecting Colorado’s environment a top priority for voters, political candidates, and elected officials in Colorado. CC educates the public about the conservation positions of candidates and elected officials, and holds elected officials accountable for their environmental records. New Belgium supports CC because environmentally policy is determined by the values of the people we elect. NRDC The Natural Resources Defense Council works to protect natural resources throughout the country for the benefit of the environment, communities and businesses. We are proud to be a part of the Brewers For Clean Water campaign to help maintain and advance responsible safeguards for the waterways of the United States – for recreation, clean drinking water, and of course making great beer. ASBC The American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) seeks to advance public policies that foster a vibrant, just, and sustainable economy. The ASBC is our voice in Washington D.C., communicating to policy makers and the media how a sustainable economy based on broad economic and environmental prosperity is good for business and good for Americans. In addition to sitting on the steering committee we also co-chair the sustainable agriculture working group in an effort to increase opportunities to be more sustainable and to decrease the barriers.

Future 500 New Belgium is closely tracking efforts to shift end-of-life responsibility for consumer goods packaging away from citizens and municipalities and onto producers or brand owners. The sustainability of our products are impaired by the lack of available recycled content for our packages. Recycling rates in this country have stagnated, and we believe that it’s going to take something like 'Extended Producer Responsibility' (EPR) to get them moving, as evidenced by the rates in the 10 US states with bottle bills. Superhero Horizontal Spacer C028 Superhero Horizontal Spacer C027 THE CRAFT BEER INDUSTRY Here are a few of the key arenas in which we engage with our fellow brewers and beverage manufacturers to drive the sustainability of the whole industry. We are all more effective when we can speak with one voice on key issues and through benchmarking and best practice sharing. Brewers Association (BA) New Belgium helped to establish - and co-chairs - the Brewers Association's Sustainability Subcommittee. The committee helps BA members and future brewers alike to brew the highest quality beers in a manner that strengthens the value of our businesses, increases the resiliency of the natural environment and agricultural systems that provide brewing ingredients, and enhances the lives of our workforce and the communities we call home. The committee is doing fantastic work in important areas including energy & water efficiency and benchmarking, promotion of more sustainable barley & hop growing practices, supply chain engagement on sustainability in packaging options, and increased member education and engagement. Additionally, the Brewers Association Technical Committee is a collaborative group of Craft Brewers who work together to better understand technical, safety, and sustainability issues within the industry as well as find solutions to challenges presented in those areas. We cover important topics including coworker safety, Bisphenol A (BPA), Genetically Engineered seeds, and more. New Belgium is one of many contributors and views expressed on this website do not inherently represent the views of the BA Technical Committee.

Brewers for Clean Water You can't make great beer without clean water. That's why our brewery is proud to join the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and its more than one million supporters to stand up for clean water and the Clean Water Act. Inspired by an op-ed written by New Belgium's Director of Sustainability, Brewers for Clean Water was founded by the NRDC to galvanize brewers around our shared need for healthy waterways. Cheers to that!

North Carolina Brewers Guild The North Carolina Brewers Guild is a not-for-profit 501(c)6 tax-exempt organization comprised of brewers, vendors, retailers and craft beer enthusiasts focused on promoting North Carolina beer. North Carolina boasts the largest number of craft breweries in the American South, with more than 100 breweries and brewpubs.

Hop Quality Group The Hop Quality Group is a non-profit organization of Craft Brewers advocating for the interests of all brewers. The purpose of the organization is to strengthen the partnership between growers, brokers, researchers and brewers in an effort to preserve and elevate hop quality. BIER The mission of the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) is to bring together leading global beverage companies to define a common framework for stewardship, drive continuous improvement in industry practices and performance, and inform public policy in the areas of Water Conservation and Resource Protection, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Mitigation.

Colorado Brewers Guild The Colorado Brewers Guild (CBG) is a 501 (c...