What is the problem with growing beer?

Firstly, we look at the cultivation of hops and barley, which are components of beer. These should be organically grown and pesticide-free.

What is the problem with the packaging of beer? Barrel or bottle?

What about the packaging of the beer? Reusable barrels, also known as kegs, are the most sustainable. They can be cleaned and used again and again. These are available in 25, 50 or 100 litre sizes and have a service life of around 20 years and are fully recyclable. In addition, the ratio of packaging to contents, i.e. beer, is very good. In second place are beer bottles with swing tops. These can also be cleaned and reused again and again. According to the Federal Environment Agency, this happens up to 50 times with glass bottles. Beer bottles with crown caps have a problem! What happens to the crown caps? They end up in the yellow bin/yellow bag. As a rule, crown caps are made of aluminium with plastic seals glued on. When the aluminium is recycled/melted down, the plastic simply burns off. The material that remains, i.e. aluminium, must be reshaped. A new plastic seal must be reapplied. It would be better to reuse the crown caps, but unfortunately this does not work for hygienic reasons and because of the shape, as the crown cap bends when it is opened. In third place are aluminium cans. These are not reused 1:1 but are first melted down. Recycling is very energy-intensive here. The production of aluminium from rock, known as bauxite, also consumes a lot of energy. In fourth place are reusable plastic bottles. These are cleaned and can be refilled. As a rule, the bottles are given a new cap each time. If the bottles are made of PET, they can be reused up to 20 times, according to the Federal Environment Agency. In last place are disposable plastic bottles. These are melted down again each time and processed into new items. This requires a lot of energy each time.

What is the problem with using beer crates?

Beer crates are usually made of HD-PE, also known as high density polyethylene, a medium density polyethylene. Here is another comparison: ski surfaces are also made of polyethylene, but a type of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, also known as UHMW-PE. During use, the beer crates, like skis, cause microplastic abrasion. Every time a crate is dragged across the floor, a little plastic is left behind.

How should sustainable beer crates be designed?

Beer crates should be made from thermoplastic materials, such as thermoplastic and biodegradable plastics, or metal, e.g. aluminium or stainless steel, or from renewable raw materials, e.g. wood. In this way, the production of microplastics can be prevented.

What is the problem with labels on beer bottles?

Who hasn't experienced it, a warm spring day, one of the last ski tours of the year, sitting by the river after a glorious firn day, enjoying the sun and cooling your beer. As soon as you come back, the labels on the beer have already come off and floated away.
Three problems stand out. Firstly, the adhesive on the labels should be biodegradable, secondly, the paper should be biodegradable and thirdly, the printing ink on the labels should be biodegradable. Our labels are now floating in the river and may even end up in the sea one day.

What is the problem with logistics?

The transport of beer produces microplastics due to tyre abrasion from lorries and a lot of CO2. Therefore, the more locally you buy your beer, the better, because less CO2 and microplastics are produced.

What should sustainable beer look like?

To summarise, the most sustainable beer is an organic beer that is consumed directly at the brewery on a bike tour. There is little or no logistics involved, no microplastics are produced and the beer can be served directly from reusable kegs. Cheers!