A Masterclass in Sustainability - New Belgium Brewing Leads the Pack

If consumers want to make more enviromentally responsible choices, we have to train our eye and shift our cognitive awareness towards greener business practices in everyday decisions. Consumers have way more power than we realize and corporations are paying attention to our spending habits. That's why they go to great lengths to make their brands look more sustainable - but we all know there's a lot of greenwashing out there, right under our noses.

It's never been more important to vote with our wallets to leverage our collective awareness and reward the companies that actually live up to their green claims. In the case of New Belgium Brewing, we find a Masterclass in Sustainability that reaches above and beyond the status quo - and they deserve a spotlight.

I'm always on the lookout for responsible brands that are leading the way to a more circular economy and taking measurable action to protect our planet. Not only for my own life, but to empower fellow consumers to sort through all that greenwash and grow the sustainability movement, one brand at a time.

Last week, I cracked open an ice cold bottle of Fat Tire Amber and noticed my favorite Rocky Mountain brewery had rebranded their packaging. In addition to a new vivid blue background and golden bicycle logo, I noticed a new slogan - high quality, low impact. Hmmm... Followed by a powerful claim on the package handle (in flame red letters), "the first carbon neutral beer."

This was worth investigating. Looking closer, I found a stellar example of what every sustainable business should be doing - complete transparency right there on the package label, with an eco-friendly ethos.

In honor of Earth Month - let's break down what New Belgium Brewing is doing to achieve succes in the market and save our only planet. And we'll see if there are things that can still be improved... Because any brand that's being completely honest with consumers must acknowledge they can always do more and the path to sustainability is a never-ending journey.

Humble beginnings in the Rocky Mountains

New Belgium started in a home basement in Fort Collins, Colorado, in 1991, after Kim and Jeff Lebesch were inspired by a recent cycling trip to Belgium to bring authentic Belgian brewing traditions to their hometown. They defined and implemented core values from the very start - which included alternative power sources to reduce their carbon footprint. At a time when nobody in business was talking about sustainability.

On the bottom of the cardboard six-pack container, I notice that New Belgium cheekily thanks its customers for "helping protect the only planet with beer." I don't care for snarky wit and humor in marketing because it usually fails and more often alienates - but cheeky clever copy like this I appreciate.

The packaging also proudly sports several important logos beside its barcode - Certified B Corporation; Carbon Neutral Certified; Kosher; and the chasing arrows emblem to encourage responsible recycling of its bottles & paperboard. What's missing: a 1% for the Planet logo, which they should include because they do support this program.

Another noteworthy tagline is "Optimism Forever" - which flanks a red bicycle perched atop a blue planet with a golden halo radiating upward in a circle, like the sun. Nice imagery, guys - but it isn't just optics and greenwashed graphics. New Belgium's commitment to protecting our planet is immediately clear once you read their folksy impact statement on the container.

Folksy Storytelling at its Finest:

"OUR IMPACT - Since day one, when our founder rigged up a trashcan and a copper pipe to recapture heat and conserve energy, we've been working to reduce our environmental impact. But there's always more to do. And every day we look for new ways to chip our carbon footprint closer to zero. Recently, our brewers suggested we use raw barley in Fat Tire's recipe, and we said, "interesting." When we realized this would reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, we said, "definitely." As you crack this beer open, know we're working hard to reduce the emissions required to make the next."

Why this copy is effective & informative:

• Acknowledges there's always more to do
• Constantly looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint
• States their end goal as 'Net Zero Emissions'
• Provides anecdotal steps of how they're doing this (ie, using raw barley)
• Reassures consumers that we're helping make a difference by drinking beer.

New Belgium also makes space for disclosure of their skeletons, not hiding them.

Ongoing Investments in Sustainability:

"OUR INVESTMENTS - Despite constant work to reduce our emissions, every step in the process to bring you this beer requires energy: brewing it, packaging it, storing it, and transporting it. Some of that energy still emits greenhouse gases, which cause climate change - and climate change is bad for everything. Even beer. To earn carbon neutral certification, we continue to reduce the energy we use, year over year, while investing in projects that offset our remaining emissions. We also push for nationwide leadership to address climate change, hoping to secure a better future for beer, for people, and our planet."

Why this copy is engaging and effective:

• Honest disclosure admits all its products are energy intensive
• Commits to continual efforts to reduce emissions
• Acknowledges more will always need to be done
• Explains carbon neutral certification through ongoing energy reduction
• Invests in projects to offset where they fall short (as every brand does)
• Advocates for responsible leadership on the national level
• Reinforces the importance of addressing climate change and protecting our planet and its people - as in you, the consumers

Business as a Force for Good

To followup on these bold claims, I visited New Belgium's website and here is what I found... A digital scoreboard chock full of accountability, transparent documenation, evironmental awareness, grass roots advocacy, huge investments in the circular economy, and impeccable storytelling - both visually and written.

I like the fact that New Belgium isn't afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve and boast about what it's doing. Why? Because it puts pressure on competitors to do the same - be accountable! Clearly, they have a top notch marketing department at New Belgium that makes good on everything that's stated on my beer carton. And their rebranding looks pretty sharp.

A Cornucopia of Craft Beer

In the last several decades, New Belgium's product line has expanded from traditional Belgian-style Ales of their humble beginnings (Ambers, Abbeys, Trippels, Sours, Lambics, Lagers, Browns, and Dark brews). In addition to the classics that made it one of the top craft breweries in America, New Belgium now features a large assortment of contemporary IPA's from the popular Voodoo Ranger line - infused with wild seasonal flavors and hip edgy graphics. They also host a newer line of hard juices, boozy nectars, super-hard fruit seltzers, and mouth-puckering citrus concoctions that toe the line between a cocktail and beer - like Dominga Mimosa Sour Ale and the enticing Paloma Sour Ale.

Since the summer of 2003, the company has maintained an in-house Sustainability Department, "which would grow to establish the brewery as a Certified B-Corporation and 1% for the Planet member, while spearheading on-site projects like the installation of solar panels and a wastewater treatment facility."

The sustainability department was created to fulfill New Belgium's core values - to inspire social and environmental change. Huzzah!

As a certified B-Corporation, New Belgium puts employee and community wellbeing at the center of its brewing mission - by fostering "a self-fulfilling culture defined by individual empowerment and collaborative action that drives better business results in the long term." Because the brewery's leaders believe that businesses benefit when the people who power it also thrive and prosper.

Bottoms Up to Sustainability

The company's current CEO, Steve Fechheimer, reinforces the intrinsic value of a Human-Powered Business model. In addition to focusing on the health and wellbeing of the people who work on production lines as an ethical decision, Fechheimer advocates against widespread inequality and racial injustice in society as a whole. By doing so, he takes emphasis off industrial automation and job displacement, refocusing New Belgium's ethos on the people who actually make their product (notably called coworkers, not employees).

Businesses that invest deeply in the wellbeing of people and our planet show more growth, greater resilience, and better financial performace overall. ~ Steve Fechheimer

Resilience is a key feature in anything that claims to be sustainable. And businesses must ask themselves - are our systems and processes flexible and adaptable to bend with nature (rather than chaffe against changing conditions)?

Fechheimer admits that "no business is perfect, and that includes New Belgium... Our goal is tell our story transparently - the ups and the downs - in the hopes that other companies may start adopting the Human-powered Business model and join the movement for a more prosperous, equitable, and people-centric economy."

These are concepts that drive B-Corporation certification and New Belgium rises to the challenge with full disclosure on its ethos, its values, its vision, and its mission. In fact, their brand messaging reads more like a non-profit organization than a mid-sized national corporation. But the top brass at New Belgium is not afraid to be harsh on its corporate competitors.

"Corporations must play a role in promoting real solutions. Unfortunately, the past four decades have seen corporate America become increasingly dehumanized, despite well-publicized promises to change. Human Powered Businesses [HPB] seek to reverse these trends... We believe HPB will greatly accelerate the pace of solutions to our biggest challenges, while also building a stronger, more profitable, and more resilient business over the long term."

By acknowledging that New Belgium has room to grow and improve in many aspects, its leaders build incentives into the progressive business model to promote "fairness, transparency, inclusivity, individuality, healthy families, real work-life balance, environmental stewardship, and an unwavering committment to craft..."

New Belgium’s Big Achievements in Craft Brewing:

• One of America’s largest & fastest growing craft breweries
• Has won over 34 medals at the Great American Beer Festival
• Gold Medal for their Trippel Ale in 2021
• Operates the largest Sour Beer Program in the U.S.
• Has a 5-million-barrel capacity
• Breweries in Asheville-NC, Fort Collins-CO, Denver (‘19), Comstock-MI (‘22)
• Brewpubs in San Francisco, CA (’19) and Denver International Airport (’19)
• Best-in-class brewing and quality assurance

New Belgium's Masterclass in Sustainability:

• 1st wind-powered brewery in U.S. in 1998
• Incorporated Solar & Biogas Electricity in their Fort Collins plant
• 1st certified Carbon Neutral Beer (Fat Tire) in North America in 2020
• Certified B-Corporation since 2012, advocating social & environmental justice
• Maintains a Climate Action Plan & scalable Philanthropy Model
• 1st Carbon Neutral Footprint Study for Beer
• Members of Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy (BICEP)
• Currently powered by 60% renewable energy company wide
• 665 Kilowatts of Solar Panel generation cover their facility roofs
• 764 Kilowatts of Biogas generation in brewing production
• 58% of their Grid Electricity used comes from non-carbon sources
• Solar thermal heat supplies hot water for the Asheville, NC offices
• Pushed the City of Fort Collins to adopt 100% renewable energy by 2030
• Supporter of GRID since 2015, donating over $130,000 to their program
• Asheville, NC Brewery is LEED-certified w/ Silver, Gold, Platinum distinctions
• Advocates for sustainable packaging with glass bottle, cardboard & aluminum recycling programs
• Offers Keg Beer and Refillable Growler Bottles to go at their breweries
• Members of Brewers for Clean Water, helping protect the Clean Water Act
• Partners with the Conservation Alliance, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Conservation Colorado, Elevate Conservation – Outdoors for All, Next 100 Colorado, Protect Our Winters, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Project, and the Outdoor Alliance.
• Co-founded the Glass Recycling Coalition to improve recycling nationwide
• Founded the Brewers Association Sustainability Subcommittee
• Donated over $17 million to nonprofits working on climate change
• Donated over $19 million for climate and environmental grants
• Adopted light-weighted packaging to reduce carbon footprint & shipping costs
• Zero Waste Facilities - 99.5% of ALL WASTE is diverted from landfills!

Their Green Goals Moving Forward:

• Attain 100% Carbon Neutral certification by 2030
• Achieve LEED certification on all new buildings
• Implement 2030 Climate Action Plan fueled by Science-based Targets

Commitment to Human Powered Business:

• 1st brewery with perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index
• Scalable Giving Model donating $1 per barrel of beer sold
• Didn’t lay off a single employee in the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Enjoys incredibly low employee turnover and high workforce engagement
• Balances Profits with Purpose - "promoting fairness, transparency, inclusivity, individuality, healthy families, real work-life balance, environmental stewardship, commitment to craft"
• Social Leader in Coalitions like We Are All In, CERES BICEP, and the Conservation Alliance… among others
• Human Powered Beers program leverages beer as conduit for social & environmental change
• Supports Torched Earth, Biere de Queer, and Point of Snow Return
• Employs 1,300 coworkers - practices total financial transparency & pay equity
• Operates on-site wellness center with FT physicians for both coworkers & their families (since 2016)
• Minimum wage of $18.50 with CEO-to-median worker pay ratio of 15:1 (compared to 351:1 average pay ratio at most large companies in U.S.)
• Equal benefits for LGBTQ+ spouse since the early 1990’s
• 100% paid health insurance for every FT employee
• Paid Caregiver Leave updated in 2019
• Every employee receives a custom bicycle on their 1-year anniversary
• More than 1,000 bicycles have been given to employees
• Every employee receives paid sabbaticals at 10- and 20-year anniversaries
• Members of PwC’s CEO Pledge for Action on Diversity & Inclusion
• Members of the Human Right’s Campaign’s Business Coalition for the Equality Act
• Employ a Company-wide DEI Director to lead initiatives across brand family
• Initiated a DEI Coworker Council to promote people-centric approach
• Paid sabbaticals at the 10- and 20-year anniversaries
• Onsite gear shed with rentable outdoor equipment and wellness programs
• Donates $1 of every barrel sold to nonprofit organizations!
• Has donated over $30 million to date to help solve the world’s most pressing social and environmental problems through grants and giving initiatives!

Clean Green Transpo on Two Wheels

Bicycling is a huge component of New Belgium Brewing and not just as a retro-inspired logo or company gift – bikes are heralded as a practical way to support human health and fitness, reduce C02 emissions, reduce fossil fuel demand, reduce air and water pollution, save consumers money, and protect the environment. Plus biking is just fun! So, it’s no surprise that New Belgium rigorously supports the cycling community across the nation.

After all, it was a bicycling trip to Belgium in 1988 that first inspired the founders to launch a brewery of old-school, artisanal Belgian ales.

New Belgium’s Ongoing Support of Bicycling in America:

• Distributed over $9 million to bicycle advocacy groups across U.S.
• Ranked No. 1 on Bicycling Magazine’s inaugural list of 25 best companies for cyclists
• Raised money through Tour de Fat to help Fort Collins become one of five Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Communities
• Donated land at Asheville, NC brewery for the new French Broad River Greenway
• Supports bicycle nonprofits like Boise Bicycle Project, Neighborhood Bike Works, The Crucible, and Wheels for Winners
• Recipient of multiple “Best Brewery Tour in America” awards

A Certified B-Corporation

“B-Corp certification is to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA organic certification is to milk. B Corps are certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability."

?

Their B-Corp Score Card - posted on their uber-informative and ultra inspiring website - whether you're a beer drinker, a wine sipper, or a teetotaler - New Belgium's transparency is amazing.

So What Can New Belgium Brewing Improve?

Before I award New Belgium the gold standard on sustainability, let's take a look at what they're not yet doing (or at least not reporting), and what they can improve upon. Because every sustainable business worth their salt must acknowledge that sustainability is not a destination, but an ongoing journey.

Part of going green as a business is being adaptable and constantly improving systems and processes as new technology emerges and advances. And there are always things that can be improved, which New Belgium willingly admits as part of their message. And that's why their brand come across as authentic. Let's see what this craft beer superstar can do better, improve upon, and/or what's missing in their message and operations.

Recycled Content Packaging? - Although all of New Belgium’s packaging (glass, aluminum & papercard) is infinitely recyclable (which is great), and they donate considerable funding to improve recycling programs all around the US (also great) - they do not disclose whether they utilize any recycled content in their packaging. This would be a very easy thing to incorporate into their production facilities and product sourcing – perhaps they already do this, but I don’t see it disclosed anywhere in their marketing materials or on the website. So, gotta assume they don't. Question is, why not?

Please fix this pronto, guys!

Eco-Friendly Inks? - Their newly rebranded marketing schema on packaging is ablaze with vibrant blues, vixen reds, and bronzed golds. But they don't disclose anywhere how they source their inks and whether they’re eco-friendly. Now, this may seem like a relatively small and petty complaint, but small steps taken repeatedly create big impact on a national (and global) scale.

• Fossil Fuels - Truth is, there are NO inks currently available on the market that are 100% free of of non-renewable materials, ie synthetic chemicals made from fossil fuels. However, one of the pillars of sustainability is getting rid of fossil fuel products - especially plastics, because they are one of the biggest pollution sources in the world, synthetic plastic manufacturing has an enormous carbon footprint in terms of energy required (to make, collect, transport, and recycle it), and plastic contains highly toxic ingredients (and forever chemicals).
• Algae ink - is the lastest, cutting edge development in printing, that features both water-based and soy-based carriers. So, if you're printing in black ink only, this is the most sustainable choice. However, New Belgium's rebranded packaging features bold technicolor pigments with heavily saturated hues.
• Pigments - represent 10-20% of the materials present. While carriers comprise about 70-80% of the ingredients in a bucket of ink - the vehicles by which ink is transferred onto substrate before it dries. Additives account for roughly 5-15%. Most of the time, soy- and water-based carriers emit very little VOCs when they dry (unlike petroleum-based carriers, which have high VOC emissions). However, many soy-based inks are not pure, but are mixed with some ratio of petroleum-based oil, and this impacts the ink's emissions.
• Printing method & printing substrate also influence VOC emissions - so it's important for eco-friendly businesses to understand printing methods as much as ingredients when trying to make sustainable decisions on eco-friendly inks.

Transparency in Print - I'd like to see New Belgium disclose what pigments they use and where they source them; whether the carriers are plant-based (including %); and their printing methods - since they're already committed to tracking emissions at their production and corporate facilities, and inks do contribute to VOCs to the environment, they should be monitoring these closely as well. And certainly disclosing them to employees!

And What About Organics?

Lastly, we need to talk about the fruity tooty ingredients that flavor New Belgium's popular line of hard nectar juices, boozy fruit seltzers, and sour beers...

• Pesticides - Specifically, are the fruits, citrus, and berries they source grown organically? And if not, why is that? In order to be a sustainability champion, they should be sourcing only organic fruits - especially when many of the fruits they're using appear on The Dirty Dozen List - an annual publication which tests and reports on the fruits and vegetables that carry the highest pesticide loads. Which is bad for people, and bad for beer.

• Organic Farmers - Although the company actively supports regenerative agriculture and rural farmers when it comes to sourcing hops and barley, and funding regenerative research in these areas - New Belgium doesn't disclose whether it sources organic ingredients for anything else on its burgeoning product line. I assume it doesn't use organically grown produce - which is a shame. And something that should be corrected asap if they aren't already sourcing organic fruit (and grains) in everything they brew!

Two Green Thumbs Up

I don't hestitate to give New Belgium Brewery Two Big Green Thumbs Way Up! For all the reasons we've just covered... I encourage readers to check out their website themselves, then pass along what you find to your boss and upper management. Because New Belgium wants you to emulate what they're doing no matter what industry you work in - whether you're a competitor or not. They actively encourage other breweries and businesses to copy them!

I'd say their 'Drink Sustainably' campaign is a smash hit success. And this is the sort of company that we need to spotlight, to set an example for other businesses to follow, and a well deserving truly Green Brand that consumers should support - whether it's by word of mouth, or imbibing their delicious craft-brewed products first-hand. I heartily endorse New Belgium Brewing for helping to protect the environment and by giving back to their community.

Thanks for reading my Masterclass in Sustainability analysis. I hope you found it informative and helpful, and invite you to follow me on Linked In for more insightful Eco-Content to follow. And just so you know - there are no affiliate connections or links in this article ~ Cheers, Prost, Salut!