During this series of four articles, Econse will discuss a broad range of topics, including how breweries can manage their most precious resource and even what does it mean to be “sustainable” anyways? In this edition, Econse CEO Derek Davy shares tips for standing out as a sustainability leader.

You’ve got a great line-up of delicious craft beers. Your hard-working staff is dedicated to consistently producing the highest quality product. Your entire team is engaged in your community. And, because you always want to attract new customers and grow your business, you’re still looking for new ways to stand out from the crowd.

Sustainability presents itself as an opportunity to further evolve and distinguish your brewery. There are a number of great reasons to go this route—beyond its benefits for our environment. However, to maximise the impact, you need to be careful about how you introduce, implement, and communicate your sustainability value.

In this article, we’ll take a look at sustainability through the lens of your brewery, showing its positive impacts, the potential pitfalls, and actionable steps you can take to become a sustainability leader.

The Benefits of Sustainability

You know that sustainable efforts, from recycling and reuse to wastewater treatment and energy efficiency, support the health of your community and planet. But you may be surprised at how those same efforts can support your business.

Implementing sustainable practices can enhance your brand image and credibility. Studies reveal that 84 percent of consumers consider the causes a brand supports when making a purchase decision. Overlaid with that is a recent NielsenIQ study that found 78 percent of US consumers say that a sustainable lifestyle is important to them, and you can quickly see how important your eco-friendly efforts become.

When consumers see that you’re actively supporting a cause that’s already important to them, they feel an instant connection. Your brewery isn’t simply providing them with great beer; you’re also providing good feelings about the choice they’ve made.

Cost is obviously a concern when updating or changing operations in any way. And while sustainable solutions do have an upfront expense, they often come with long-term savings. By optimising your use of resources, minimising water usage and reducing costly fines or excessive expenses created by a rushed project to meet new guidelines.

Become a Sustainability Leader

When you’re ready to step into the role of a sustainability leader, there are a few guidelines to help ensure the plan you choose, and your operations to deliver it, are meaningful and impactful.

First, be authentic. Your commitment to sustainability should come from a genuine place and be clearly evident across your business, your community, and your region. It’s great to “save the planet”, but it’s more meaningful when your clean wastewater helps restore a favourite local lake or your recycled materials support the construction of a new playground or reuse centre.

You’ve built some great credibility as a sustainable brand. It’s time to build more! If you’re maintaining it, you stand the opportunity to build momentum. As you grow your commitment to sustainability and expand your efforts, you’re also helping others learn from your work. Make sure you’re sharing your vision and the environmental values for your business with your colleagues. Your posting of “sustainability in action” should reflect clear direction for your brand and consistency for your customers.

Authenticity is Key

It should go without saying that, to realise all of these benefits, you need to be authentic. While some examples are often mocked, well-meaning consumers will immediately see through any misuse of the word. “Green-washed” initiatives or ineffective steps that don’t make a real difference—such as washing the negative impact in feel-good messaging—can fall flat quickly.

With your sustainability efforts in place, there are a few ways to amplify your initiative. If you’ve properly analysed your initiative, then it likely won’t need hard-sell language. Instead, focus on how the choices you’ve made will benefit your consumers, your community, and your region.

Becoming a Sustainability Leader

Sustainability is a powerful tool to establish your brewery as a thought leader, and your operations to demonstrate environmental values.

Bench Brewing Company, located in Beamsville, Ontario, is a great example of a sustainability leader. Matt Giffen, Founder, says, “Our culture has been rooted in sustainability since the beginning, with a focus on the brewery being designed to function both big and small ways.” As a rural business, they don’t have access to municipal power or water, so they built their own water systems to power their brew.

Schelling commented that for companies watching what they served their consumers with, they were willing to do more than just drinks, while the company itself was doing little to curb their own carbon footprint. Asking your customers to care about sustainability when your brand isn’t doing the same is an invitation for backlash.

You also must remember that today’s consumers are savvier than ever. Starbucks found that while their newly introduced coffee cups claimed to be recyclable, customers scrutinised the materials and found otherwise. The brand announced that these recyclable straws were in fact often not recyclable, leading to widespread consumer mistrust. Expect that customers were quick to point out that the new lid contained more plastic than the straw and the company looked deceitful, wasteful and clueless as a result.