Water is integral to the brewing process but brewing is also incredibly water-intensive. So we must do all we can to minimise our water consumption when making our beers, explains Søren Nøhr Bak, senior expertise director at NIRAS.
Water is not only critical for our survival — it’s key to the success of economies too. What was once a plentiful commodity is now increasingly recognised as something that needs to be preserved both for the environment and to avoid the high cost of wastewater disposal.
As many as three out of four jobs are either heavily or moderately dependent on water, according to the UN, so any droughts or restrictions on supply will impact a company’s success and a nation’s prosperity too.
Brewing, as mentioned previously, is water-intensive and, whereas CO2e emissions are a global concern, there are local differences in the availability and quality of water. This not only impacts processes within a brewery but also where to locate it.
We’ve seen examples of breweries being forced to move to a new site because they couldn’t get the required water volume to produce its beers efficiently and cost-effectively.
As climate change heightens the risk of water scarcity, access to water is critical to future-proofing a site.
Finally, raising awareness about the steps breweries are taking to reduce water consumption can help the public to make informed purchase choices that align with their values around sustainability.
We can see evidence of manufacturers outside the brewing industry taking steps to reduce the risk of water scarcity in the areas where they operate — notably Coca-Cola via its Water Stewardship initiative.
In order to increase water efficiency, it’s helpful to apply the Four Rs framework. Reduce the amount of water consumed at a machine level, or by switching to processes that don’t use as much water.
The industry has been working on ways to reuse water in other secondary processes since the 1980s — so, while there is still waste, significant progress has been made. Carlsberg halved its water consumption with a water recycling system (see case study below).
There are also examples of brewers using treated wastewater from other sources to produce beer — and it has gone down well with the public.
Carlsberg also set the standard for recycling in a move that has been emulated across the industry. Now more breweries are recycling water, not just for technical purposes but for process critical elements, such as the final rinse when cleaning production equipment and packaging materials.
The barrier they need to overcome is how to safely use processed wastewater while maintaining the same quality standards.
Given the amount of research that has gone into brewing processes and water efficiency in recent years, there is a real opportunity to rethink traditional methods, and apply the latest scientific thinking.
This has already resulted in substantial gains for some companies — such as reducing water usage. Whereas previously around 12% of water might be evaporated to remove the alcohol, it can now be as low as 1-2% thanks to improved processes.
Spotlight on Carlsberg
Carlsberg Brewery in Fredericia, Denmark, is now recycling 90% of all process water and has halved its overall water usage — making it the most water- efficient production plant in the Carlsberg Group.
As part of its ambition to achieve zero water waste at its breweries, Carlsberg has invested in a water recycling plant — which is reducing average water consumption at the brewery from 2.9 hl of water per hl of beer to 1.4 hl of water per hl of beer.
At a global level, Carlsberg’s aim is to halve its water usage from 3,4 hectoliters to 1,7 hectoliters pr. hectoliter of beverage produced.
The plant was finished in the spring of 2021. Carlsberg opened Fredericia Brewery on September 25, 1979. NIRAS was involved in the construction of the brewery through the company DanBrew which is now part of NIRAS.
