Amid high energy prices and inflation, NBWA is helping distributors find creative ways to be both economical and sustainable
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – As beer and beverage distributors continue to grapple with high energy prices during the busy summer season, the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) is announcing a toolkit to help companies save money and reduce their carbon footprint through efficiency and sustainability efforts.
America’s beer and beverage distributors have always been focused on efficiency and provide considerable energy and carbon savings for the beer industry. Distributors consolidate deliveries, reducing congestion and energy usage all while increasing the variety of products at retail. With more than 13,300 licensed brewers in the U.S. and 600,000 retailers served, this process saves millions of gallons of fuel a year. Due to this scale and reach, the three-tier system is the most environmentally friendly way to distribute beer nationally.
The toolkit highlights distributors’ additional efficiency efforts to provide a roadmap for continued improvement in the industry.
The toolkit contains a variety of easy-to-use information, including:
- Ways to reduce a distributor’s resource usage and carbon footprint within three key areas: warehousing, trucking/transportation and trade recycling
- Classification of efficiency efforts ordered from more straightforward solutions to more complex or capital-intensive solutions
- Real world examples from distributors to serve as best practices for implementation
- A sustainability calculator for NBWA members to help determine the energy and carbon savings of each initiative
“Efficiency and sustainability have always been priorities for the beer distribution industry. Now, with the challenges of inflation and high gas prices, doing more with less is increasingly top of mind,” NBWA President & CEO Craig Purser said. “This toolkit highlights the good work of America’s beer and beverage distributors and helps others find ways to improve their efficiency and sustainability, saving money and resources while reducing their carbon footprint.”
NBWA partnered with sustainability consultant Double Green on this project. Double Green has over 20 years of experience working with global beverage brands and their supply chain partners to meet consumer demand for sustainable products.
“Distributors looking for practical, proven ways to reduce their costs and greenhouse gas emissions without disrupting their operations will find it in the efficiency and sustainability toolkit,” Double Green President & CEO Molly Reilly said. “America’s beer and beverage distributors are sure to find economic returns from every environmental action prescribed in NBWA’s toolkit making the industry more resilient.”
To access the toolkit, click here.
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The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) represents America’s 3,000 independent beer distributors who service every state, congressional district and media market across the country. Licensed at the federal and state levels, beer distributors get bottles, cans, cases and kegs from a brewer or importer to stores, restaurants and other licensed retail accounts through a transparent and accountable regulatory system. Distributors build brands of all sizes – from familiar domestic beers to new startup labels and imports from around the world – and generate enormous consumer choice while supporting more than 140,000 quality jobs in their home communities. Beer distributors work locally to keep communities safe by sponsoring programs to promote responsible consumption, combat drunk driving and reduce underage drinking.