As the craft distilling industry flourishes, the footprint it leaves on our planet has become a growing aspect of what it must now adapt to. Not only has sustainability become a major part of the distilling industry, minimising footprints is top of agenda for many!
This article delves into energy conservation and environmental stewardship within the context of craft distilling.
For distillers and start-up distilleries seeking to navigate this challenge, it is key to recognise the impact of energy use and the significance of sustainable practices.
To do that – we will explore the vital aspects of energy use and what needs to be monitored. We’ll look at how to calculate and monitor carbon footprint through doing a Life Cycle Assessment and how to establish an EMS (Environmental Management System).
Most of all, we’ll show that sustainable choices are available and infinitely achievable with a bit of will power.
The result? Ensuring the legacy left behind is as pure as the spirits being produced.
The first step to sustainability – understanding your energy use
At the very core of distillation is the transfer of heat and the transformation of liquids into vapours — processes that are inherently energy-intensive.
Even if you don’t look at the footprint of materials leading up to it, nor the processes downstream – energy a massive ingredient in every bottle, just by default of heating the still and cooling the condenser.
The energy consumed during distillation not only affects production costs but also has broader implications for our environment, given that the majority still comes from non-renewable sources.
To reduce, one must first identify the key energy consumers in a distillery.
Stills require significant amounts of heat to initiate the distillation process. So do mash tuns and fermentation tanks. In their case, energy is used to heat and maintain the temperature of the mash, while more energy is often used to cool wort, chill fermenters etc.
This requires boilers (to generate steam for heating purposes), and cooling systems. Often, how a boiler operates and its efficiency is one of the biggest areas that can be shifted to become more sustainable.
Tips for energy use efficiency
Monitor energy consumption & implement recovery systems
Start by monitoring the energy used by each piece of equipment. This helps identify areas where you can cut down, as well as the areas you may be able to implement heat recovery systems to capture and reuse waste heat from your processes. For example, using waste heat to preheat feed water for boilers.
Once you understand what energy you use and where it can be salvaged, implement recovery systems where you can. Train your staff on the importance of energy conservation and what you are doing.
Evaluate and upgrade equipment
Assess the efficiency of your current equipment. Upgrading to more energy-efficient stills, mash tuns, boilers, and cooling systems can significantly reduce your energy consumption. Even small improvements can lead to big savings over time.
Upgrades don’t have to be replacements. For example, you may not be able to buy a new still, nor want to. But you might be able to easily place an insulation jacket over a part of it… You may not want to change your condenser, but you could install a big tank to act as a reservoir of cold water to create a closed loop circuit that uses less water and less energy.
Use renewable energy sources
Whenever possible, switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources like solar panels or wind turbines. This not only reduces your carbon footprint but can also be cost-effective in the long run. If that’s not an option for you – consider upgrading your boiler to a biomass boiler.
Principles of environmental sustainability
Sustainability, especially within the craft distilling community, is about creating spirits that are mindful of their environmental legacy. This involves considering how each step of the process uses resources and how it can be refined to minimise negative impacts.
You need a holistic approach to do it fully. This starts with data, understanding and systems to implement real change.
Understand your carbon footprint
Calculate the amount of greenhouse gases produced by your operations, both directly and indirectly. Conduct regular assessments to measure your carbon footprint. Once you have a number – it’s much easier to see where the big impact areas are, as they are different for each.
It’s easy to say “Look for ways to reduce emissions”. But true reduction is more than simply switching to renewable energy sources, or optimising production processes for greater efficiency. These things help but it has to be done holistically. That can only start from an informed place.
So, what’s your footprint score?
Energy audits & management
Further identify areas with the specific focus to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions. Schedule periodic energy audits. Use the findings to make informed decisions about upgrading equipment, changing processes, or adopting new technologies that are more efficient.
There are so many easy wins. Implement energy-saving measures like LED lighting, energy-efficient motors, and automated systems that optimise energy use. Audits are boring, but vital to better understand what’s actually contributing something and where to improve from there.
Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
Taking a structured approach to environmental management is the only way change will be meaningful and sustained. Implement an EMS that aligns with your distillery’s goals. This could involve setting environmental targets, tracking progress, and regularly reviewing and adjusting strategies to ensure continuous improvement.
More in this below!
How to calculate & monitor your carbon footprint
The carbon footprint of a distillery is a measure of its environmental impact in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) it emits into the atmosphere.
Distilleries can use LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) to quantify the carbon footprint of their products from raw materials to disposal. From there, they can implement carbon management strategies.
These include switching to lower-carbon fuels, investing in energy-efficient technologies, and adopting practices that reduce energy use etc.
Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantify the carbon footprint of products in distilleries involves a comprehensive process. It’s not easy and it is time consuming.
It examines the environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product’s life. This spans from raw material extraction through to materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling. Here’s how it looks in practice…
Implementing Life Cycle Assessments in distilleries
Defining the scope and goal
The first step is to clearly define the scope of the LCA. This includes identifying the product or process to be analysed and the environmental aspects to be assessed, particularly focusing on carbon footprint.
In practice, a distillery would decide whether to analyse a specific product (like their gin) or a broader process (like the overall distilling operation). Most separate the two, do both and add the results together for an overall score.
Inventory analysis
This phase involves collecting data on all inputs and outputs associated with the product’s life cycle. For a distillery, this includes raw materials (like grains, water, yeast), energy used in distillation and aging, packaging materials, transportation, and waste generated.
Practically, data might be collected from internal records, supplier information, and industry databases.
Impact assessment
Here, the environmental impacts of the inputs and outputs are assessed. For carbon footprint, this would involve calculating the greenhouse gas emissions at each stage of the product’s life cycle.
In practice, a distillery would use LCA software or methodologies to convert the inventory data into a carbon footprint, often expressed in terms of CO2 equivalents.
Interpretation
The results are then analysed to identify the significant contributions to the product’s overall carbon footprint. This can highlight areas for improvement.
For a distillery, this might involve identifying that a significant portion of emissions come from a specific stage, like transportation. In that case a supplier switch to someone more local makes a far greater impact than a dozen efficiency savings in operations. You’d be surprised where the big savings are as it varies for each producer.
Improvement and implementation
Based on the LCA results, distilleries can implement changes to reduce their carbon footprint. This could include switching to renewable energy, optimising raw material usage, or changing packaging materials. Practically, this involves setting targets, implementing changes, and then reassessing to measure the impact of these changes.
Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
An Environmental Management System (EMS) at a distillery is a structured framework that allows the organisation to manage the environmental impacts of its activities, products, and services more effectively.
The point of an EMS in a distillery is about systematically managing environmental responsibilities in a way that integrates with the overall business operations. It’s not just about compliance with regulations. It’s about improving efficiency, reducing waste, and building a brand that resonates with the growing environmental awareness of consumers.
Implementing an EMS involves several key components:
Policy, commitment and planning
The distillery develops an environmental policy that reflects its commitment to sustainability. This policy sets the tone for EMS and guides all environmental initiatives.
It begins by a distillery assessing all aspects of its operation to identify where its activities have environmental impacts. This includes raw material sourcing, energy use, waste management, emissions, and product packaging.
The next step is to set objectives and targets. Based on the identified impacts, the distillery sets clear, measurable goals for improvement. For example, reducing water usage by a certain percentage or achieving a specific reduction in carbon emissions. (Which goes back to why it’s so important to know your number to begin with!)
Implementation and operation
The distillery establishes procedures to achieve its environmental goals. This could involve changing production processes, training staff, or investing in new technologies.
Successful implementation nearly always comes down to this next bit – defining clear roles within the organisation to manage and implement the EMS. This often includes appointing an environmental manager or a sustainability team.
Checking and corrective action:
Regular monitoring of environmental performance against the set objectives is crucial. This could involve tracking energy consumption, waste generation, and water usage. If monitoring reveals that targets are not being met, the distillery must identify the reasons and take corrective actions.
Management Review:
EMS is a dynamic system that evolves over time, which is why it is important to regularly review. Management periodically reviews the EMS to ensure its effectiveness and to make necessary adjustments based on the latest operational data and environmental regulations.
What EMS looks like in practice
A distillery might implement an EMS by first conducting an audit to understand its environmental impact. It might then set targets, such as reducing energy consumption / grid dependency by 20% within two years.
To achieve this, they could invest in energy-efficient equipment and optimise distillation processes to make savings at a production level. They could train employees on energy conservation practices and make savings in other departments too.
They might regularly track their energy usage and hold quarterly reviews to assess progress. If they’re not on track, they might explore additional measures like structural changes to the building, installing solar or wind powered energy generators.
Success in achieving targets could be communicated to stakeholders, including customers, to demonstrate the distillery’s commitment to environmental responsibility.
An EMS should be really simple at its core. There’s a clear objective for the audit. A clear target can be set based on the data that emerges. Pragmatic solutions are then implemented to achieve that target. Monitoring happens along the way to ensure progress. Communication happens that the task has been completed and keeps everyone accountable. It’s straightforward and every distillery should be able to implement something at some level very quickly and easily.
Best practices for a more sustainability conscious distillery
You don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Adopting best practices in sustainability can guide distillers towards more eco-friendly operations.
For example, comparing energy use to industry standards helps identify areas for improvement. There’s now quite a lot of open communication about this between distillers on forums and social platforms linked Linked In. Team up with another distillery to work together – collaboration is a big part of what will make everyone better.
Another is choosing suppliers that prioritise sustainability can reduce a distillery’s indirect environmental impact. That’s easy to do at all levels.
If nothing else – follow the four R’s of sustainability!
The 4 R’s—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rethink—are a good way to create a sustainable and environmentally responsible distillery. They provide a framework for minimising the environmental impact and are particularly relevant in an industry where resource-intensive processes are commonplace.
A lot of the following advice is the same as what has been mentioned already, but if you’ve scrolled to this point and missed all the above, they show the pragmatic areas to look at – not just hypothetical eco-ideas.
Reduce
Energy Consumption: Distillers can invest in energy-efficient equipment, insulate pipes, and use low-energy lighting to cut down on energy use.
Water Usage: Implementing water-saving technologies and practices, such as closed-loop cooling systems, can significantly lower water requirements.
Reuse
Repurposing by-products: Spent grains and botanicals can be reused as animal feed, compost, or even to create new products like biofuels or spirits-based food items.
Equipment and materials: Reusing materials within the distillery, such as casks or packaging materials, can reduce waste and lower production costs. Heat exchangers can do the same for energy re-use.
Recycle
Recycling waste: Establishing a robust recycling program for glass, cardboard, and plastics is essential.
Wastewater treatment: Investing in on-site treatment facilities can allow the recycling of wastewater for cleaning, greatly reducing water waste. Even finding ways to filter appropriately and upcyling water to boost nature habitats can be a great contribution.
Rethink
Process design: Distillers should continually assess and modify their processes to be more efficient and less wasteful. Often scheduling is a big area where moving timings can result in far more energy efficient processes (the hard part is how that affects the shift patterns).
Sustainable sourcing: Rethinking where raw materials come from, opting for local and organic sources, reduces transportation emissions and supports sustainable agriculture.
By embracing energy conservation, calculating carbon footprint and environmental sustainability, distillers can ensure that their craft not only delivers exceptional spirits but also preserves the essence of the earth that nurtures their creation.
This guide is just a starting point for distillers and new distillery start-ups to better understand, monitor, and manage their environmental impact.
Now’s the harder part – making that commitment to do something about it and deliver something that will resonate well beyond the last sip!
