If you care about how green the beer in your glass is then the news that Wal-Mart is partnering with the Carbon Disclosure Project to measure the energy used to create seven products, including beer, seems like a big deal. The story:
What exactly did it take to make that beer you’re drinking? Retail giant Wal-Mart said Monday it will partner with a nonprofit climate group to measure the amount of energy used to create beer — as well as six other product categories sold at its stores.
The goal, said Wal-Mart and its partner the Carbon Disclosure Project, is to then find ways to make products more efficiently and, in the process, reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases tied to global warming.
Does this have much to do with beer of conviction, honest beers, whatever you want to call the beers at the heart of the discussion here?
After all, a brewery has to be pretty good size to sell to Wal-Mart. But technology and innovation trickle down. Plus some of the larger small breweries — notably Sierra Nevada and New Belgium — are already leaders at reducing the environmental impact of brewing beer.
I’ll wait until Oct. 15 to beat you up more on beer and the environment. It’s important, and Wal-Mart getting involved can only help.
Earlier this month Chris O’Brien reported that Climate Change gives the largest breweries low marks when it comes to addressing their impact on global warming. I think the report somehow missed a lot of what Anheuser-Busch is doing, but I also know that any brewery is likely to listen if Wal-Mart suggests there’s more to be done.
Enough to make us feel all warm inside when we think about Wal-Mart? One step at a time.
Good news for A-B
I think A-B has been ‘recognized’ as an industry leader on their commitment to the environment. They do a good job treating their water, like what is done at many smaller breweries in the US, only A-B uses exponentially more water so they can claim to be ‘better’ in terms of volume I suspect.
So, my cynical beer loving self expects this move by Wal-Mart will be best for A-B… but hopefully it will allow a bit more room for SN and NB as well.
They sell beer at Wal-Mart?
Lucky Americans! Here in Ontario we can only buy beer from the government-run “Beer Stores”.