The five main environmental impacts<\/a>\u00a0of brewing are:<\/p>\n Water consumption: <\/strong>90-95% of beer is water. Water is also lost in activities such vessel and facility cleaning.<\/p>\n Wastewater: <\/strong>The water that is not used directly in the brewing process usually turns into wastewater that can carry byproducts such as high concentrations of organic matter.<\/p>\n There are typically 3 categories of waste water. Each should be dealt with in its own manner:<\/p>\n Solid waste and byproducts: <\/strong>These consist of organic material from the brewing processes and are usually deposited with nearby farms, but sometimes end up in landfills.<\/p>\n Energy: <\/strong>Brewhouses use large amounts of heat and fuel in the brewing process.<\/p>\n Emissions to air: <\/strong>Most emissions are CO2 from energy consumption, but CO2 is a natural byproduct of fermentation. Plus, most breweries purchase CO2 to add to the beer or to tap their kegs. Other air pollutants include odor and dust from the boiling process and storage of grains.<\/p>\n The Brewers Association’s Sustainability benchmarking reports and best practice manuals all contribute to our knowledge of the brewing industry\u2019s environmental impact. Breweries voluntarily report to the Brewers Association on each of the five environmental impacts. All these impacts are then compared to the amount of beer produced. This allows for a standardization and a comparison of breweries to each other.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/mba\/files\/2018\/11\/Brewing-process-with-inputs-and-outputs-1024x699.png\")
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