MillerCoors LLC
Milwaukee
www.millercoors.com
Innovation: Sustainable Business Process
Chicago-based MillerCoors LLC, which has brewing operations in Milwaukee, is using less water to brew its beers and has implemented a series of robust sustainability practices in its brewing process.
A big component of the sustainability effort is the reduction of water usage in the brewery and on the crop farms where ingredients for the brewery are produced.
Kim Marotta, director of sustainability for MillerCoors, is tasked with reducing its water consumption.
“Water is extremely important. Not only is it the main ingredient in our beer, but it helps water our crop fields, it flows through our brew kettles, and it’s really essential to good quality beer,” Marotta said. “We are focused on reducing our energy and water usage while continuing to operate at full capacity.”
According to the MillerCoors 2013 Sustainability Report, “Brewing for Good,” the brewer decreased water use by 6.1 percent to a record low of 3.82 barrels of water to produce a barrel of beer in 2012. By comparison, some U.S. breweries use as much as 6.62 barrels of water to produce a single barrel of beer.
The use of short interval controls throughout the brewing and packaging process has led to the water savings in the breweries.
“Our employees are the driving force behind our sustainability efforts,” said MillerCoors chief executive officer Tom Long. “Whether it’s reducing water use in the brewery, finding ways to send zero waste to landfills or ensuring that our consumers get a safe ride home, our people are committed to doing the right thing.”
