OnTap Magazine

Throughout the month of September, South Africans celebrate a range of international and national environmental awareness days. Two of these are National Arbour Day on the 1st and National Parks Week from the 2nd – 6th of September. Two popular international holidays are World Rhino Day on the 22nd and World Tourism Day on the 27th. As a result, this September is an opportune time to reflect on the conservation and sustainability initiatives being driven by our industry. South Africans have come up with many innovative ways to contribute towards protecting our precious environment, particularly due to the droughts that have hit a number of provinces over recent years. This includes the local beer industry. From the craft brewer in your town to the larger beer companies, businesses have found creative ways to change their operations in order to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly. This includes Darling Brew in the Western Cape, which is the first brewery on the continent to have been declared carbon neutral. In order to produce Africa’s first line of carbon- neutral beers, Darling Brew calculated their carbon footprint by means of a greenhouse gas audit. The brewery then partnered with impactChoice, a provider of end-to-end environmental sustainability solutions, to offset this footprint through various carbon capturing and reduction projects. As a result, in 2016, Darling Brewery released the continent’s first carbon neutral beer, Blood Serpent, which has served as a catalyst for an increased focus on sustainability within the African beer industry, especially with regard to decarbonisation. The team from Darling Brewery state on their website that their sustainability journey started with a passion for the conservation of our environment and the beautiful animals they had encountered on their travels.  Other innovations can also be found across the sector, including Mad Giant’s beer packaging now being 100% free from single use plastic. Their four- packs are packaged in carrier packs of recyclable cardboard, while all labels are made of paper. This has replaced the business’s heavy reliance on single use plastic in shrink-wrapped four- and six-packs and the use of polypropylene labels on bottles. Mad Giant founder, Eben Uys, has highlighted the critical importance of growing the business while still doing what they can to limit the company’s impact on the environment. When it comes to the larger companies, South African Breweries (SAB) has launched a one-of-its-kind initiative, Project Popeye, which will see its Ibhayi Brewery and the Project Eden Water Conservation Park (another SAB initiative that involved the construction of an artificial wetland) developing a commercial 2000m 2 drip irrigation system that will help a local business sustainably grow spinach in raised beds. The uniqueness and value of Project Popeye lies in the fact that the water and nutrient requirements of the crops are provided by the wastewater generated in the brewing process, with no need for extra water or fertilisers. The spinach beds generally absorb approximately 10% of the water flowing through them, with 90% remaining for reuse, and this “polishing” or filtration of water subsequently helps SAB recover more water through its water recycling plant. Through this unique initiative, nutrients can be transformed into a new agricultural product. A sustainable solution for business needs at its best. The local beer industry joins all South Africans in celebrating the conservation of our country’s natural environment and wildlife this September and is committed to continue finding innovative ways to contribute towards increasing sustainability and safeguarding the environment. BASA UPDATE BEER & THE ENVIRONMENT IMPORTANCE NOTICE FOR ALL BREWERIES The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations have now been published by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). The regulations GG 44539 were gazetted on 5 May 2021 and Producers have six months to register with the DFFE. The regulations become effective from 5 November 2021. In terms of the regulations, it is mandatory for a producer to join (become a member of) an approved EPR Scheme/Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO). Alternately, a producer can set up their own scheme, which will require DFFE accreditation. Initially there will be a separate PRO for each of the material streams. Please ensure your business’ compliance from the aforementioned effective date. For more information, please access the National Waste Management Strategy page on the DFFE website by visiting http://wastepolicy.environment.gov . za/. You are also invited to download the link to the workshop that was held in August last month, on Understanding EPR and the impact that it has on the beer industry from h t t p s : //we . t l / t - QB j w3LE zND (presentations) https://youtu.be/G3M--UHe_AM (video) 16 | Spring 2021 | ontapmag.co.za