Green status for Sleeman: First brewer to achieve 3RCertified
By PLANT STAFF
Industry Sustainability Food & Beverage Manufacturing brewery manufacturing SleemanDiverts 98% of its solid waste from the Guelph, Ont. brewery.
Sleeman’s beer brands include Sleeman, Okanagan Spring, Unibroue, Sapporo and Pabst Blue Ribbon. PHOTO: SLEEMAN
Sleeman Breweries Ltd. is doing its environmental duty when it comes to handling solid waste with an overall diversion rate of 98%. And the brewer, based in Guelph, Ont., is the first in Canada to achieve 3RCertified status.
3RCertified (3RCertified.ca) is a voluntary program run by the Recycling Council of Ontario that evaluates how companies manage solid waste.
Status is awarded at one of four levels based on the total number of points earned following on-site third-party evaluation.
Here’s how Sleeman is reducing its solid waste:
A long-term organizational commitment has been made and strategy established for sustainability practices, including annual goal setting, measurement and an audit of all waste reduction initiatives.
No delivery truck is ever empty. Wood and plastic pallets, top sheets and tier pads are returned to the supplier at time of the next delivery.
Single-use disposal is avoided and reuse ensured. Airbags that secure trailer loads are refilled using an on-site air compressor.
Crown boxes and liners are offered to employees for personal use or donated to local food rescue agencies.
No item is too small. Used gloves are placed in receptacles throughout the brewery and sent to a facility for cleaning and reuse.
Glass beer bottles collected by The Beer Store are returned and reused up to 20 times.
Sleeman also considers long-term impacts of the goods and services it buys. Procurement policy requires vendors to supply goods with minimal packaging, and accept returned goods at end-of-life for reuse and recycling.
This article appeared in the October 2019 print edition of PLANT Magazine.
