New Belgium Brewing:
New Belgium Brewing:
Environmental and Social Responsibilities
New Belgium Brewing Company’s (NBB) mission statement is “to operate a profitable brewery which is socially, ethically and environmentally responsible, that produces high quality beer true to Belgian brewing styles.” Does New Belgium’s mission statement make an ethical stance for the business? Does it even have any bearing on the products and their beliefs? It seems to when it comes to operating a profitable business and the “green” way they are doing so and the benefits given to its employees.
New Belgium addresses several environmental issues, the first being air pollution. In an effort to “do their part,” they switched from coal burning power to wind power. NBB were the first brewing company to a make such a bold move. The change to wind power has allowed NBB to reduce CO2 emissions by 1,800 metric tons each year. Another environmental issue addressed by NBB is the reduction of energy costs. To this end, NBB reuses the hot water used to boil its hops and barley. This water is used to provide heat to flooring and loading docks. The hops and barley used in the brewing process do not go to waste either: they are stored and offered “free of charge” to local live stock farmers to be used as feed. This not only benefits the environment, it adds a sort of feed subsidy to the local farmers thereby helping them lower their feed costs. This can be shown as both an environmental and social benefit to the community. In addition to the environmental items above, NBB also uses sun tubes to provide natural lighting to the plant, again cutting down on energy costs. Finally, and perhaps the most unconventional, NBB offers each employee, after one year of employment, a bike that can be ridden to work. The last seems more of show of good effort than a true environmental savings.
Is NBB being socially responsible for the greater good of its consumers or to increase the bottom line and further market their
Environmental and Social Responsibilities
New Belgium Brewing Company’s (NBB) mission statement is “to operate a profitable brewery which is socially, ethically and environmentally responsible, that produces high quality beer true to Belgian brewing styles.” Does New Belgium’s mission statement make an ethical stance for the business? Does it even have any bearing on the products and their beliefs? It seems to when it comes to operating a profitable business and the “green” way they are doing so and the benefits given to its employees.
New Belgium addresses several environmental issues, the first being air pollution. In an effort to “do their part,” they switched from coal burning power to wind power. NBB were the first brewing company to a make such a bold move. The change to wind power has allowed NBB to reduce CO2 emissions by 1,800 metric tons each year. Another environmental issue addressed by NBB is the reduction of energy costs. To this end, NBB reuses the hot water used to boil its hops and barley. This water is used to provide heat to flooring and loading docks. The hops and barley used in the brewing process do not go to waste either: they are stored and offered “free of charge” to local live stock farmers to be used as feed. This not only benefits the environment, it adds a sort of feed subsidy to the local farmers thereby helping them lower their feed costs. This can be shown as both an environmental and social benefit to the community. In addition to the environmental items above, NBB also uses sun tubes to provide natural lighting to the plant, again cutting down on energy costs. Finally, and perhaps the most unconventional, NBB offers each employee, after one year of employment, a bike that can be ridden to work. The last seems more of show of good effort than a true environmental savings.
Is NBB being socially responsible for the greater good of its consumers or to increase the bottom line and further market their
Cited: 1. www.buyblue.org (CCX cite) 2. www.rockymountainnews.com (solix biofuels cite) 3. 2004, www.buyblue.org