Innovation

• Great Lake Brewing Company has committed to reducing the amount of water consumed throughout the brewing process.

• As Saul Kliorys, Sustainability Manger at Great Lakes said, this idea developed from the goal of “improving the water efficiency of our brewery operations and being advocates for local and national clean water issues”.

• Essentially the entire company, from the brewery’s founders, Patrick F. Conway and Daniel J. Conway, to Saul, and all the way down to the front-line employees (packaging, fermentation, maintenance, etc.) were involved in creating this innovative approach and making it happen.

• The founders established an incentive pay program tied to water consumption of the company.

• The company has always been a friend to the environment. They help sponsor the Burning River Fest, which has awarded almost $500,000 to non-profits that help highlight the importance of the resources the Great Lakes provide.

Inspiration

• As Saul mentioned to us, the company, “wanted to find a way to reuse water throughout rather than pumping fresh water for each process”.

• Great Lakes Brewing Company has often been a leader when it comes to sustainable practices and as their sustainability report mentions, “we hope that our story inspires other businesses, organizations, and individuals to collaborate in creating a sustainable world.”

Overall impact

For Great Lakes Brewing Company, water is not just another ingredient, it is over 90% of their product. The company has always welcomed the idea of environmentalism with open arms, especially with their mindset of “take, make, remake,” but they know that to be successful, they need to focus on how they influence the world around them. From reducing their intake of natural resources as part of a financial approach, to celebrating the positive impact of a clean environment through their Great Lakes Burning River Fest, the company understands that by addressing their goals, that just so happen to align with those of the United Nation’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development, their innovation will ultimately lead to a more prosperous future for their business.

Business benefit

• With the cost of water increasing 5-7% per year, the company knew they had to do something in order to stay profitable.

• In the short-term, the brewery is not afraid to admit this can lead to a significant amount of cost savings.

• In the long-term, the brewery is hoping that other breweries around the country will adopt their best practices as they adopt practices developed by others.

Social and environmental benefit

• The brewery has now taken to sharing best practices with other brewers via a brewers association that contains thousands of members. In addition, a newsletter is distributed to over 5,000 small brewers on best practices for brewing.

• The company is well aware of the fact that although “the Great Lakes make up 80% of the nation’s fresh water and we are not experiencing water shortages as are other regions,” they have to be aware of the future and how the world will evolve. Because of this, they are knowledgeable that this innovation will lead to: (1) A lesser amount water consumption and thus less pumping for the district and (2) Being able to help those in areas who are currently experiencing water shortages by sharing best practices.

Interview

Saul Kliorys, Sustainability Manger