Enjoying a cold beer on a hot summer’s day is undoubtedly a pleasure many Aussies and New Zealanders partake in. The beauty of B Corp businesses is that it enables individuals to continue enjoying the products and services which they love, with the assurance of knowing that the business has considered its impacts on all stakeholders, including the environment and its people.
In celebration of Capital Brewing Co.’s recent certification, we sat down with Co-Founders, Tom and Laurence, to learn more about how they’re protecting the earth and supporting communities through their ‘Good Natured Brews’.
Image: Managing Director Laurence Kain, Sustainability Manager Dan Watters & Managing Director Tom Hertel
It’s fantastic to have a third Australian brewing company join the B Corp family. Tell us a bit more about Capital Brewing Co.
We (Co-Founders, Laurence Kain and Tom Hertel) grew up one suburb apart from each other in Canberra. Our paths first crossed when we both took up bartending in 2005, and since then we’ve been trying to contribute positively to the brewing culture of Australia. Eleven years later in 2016, Capital Brewing Co. was born. It’s now one of the largest independent craft breweries in Australia. Formed with the ethos of creating Good Natured Brews, at Capital Brewing Co. we use beer as a force for good for people and the planet.
Image: Capital Brewing Co. Rainbow Beers
What motivated you to certify as a B Corp?
We wanted to certify to provide our customers, staff, and suppliers with rigorous independent verification and assurance that we are indeed delivering positive outcomes for our community and the environment.
We wanted to prove that we are no longer established as simple a “for-profit” company as we have enshrined in our constitution a commitment to deliver for the planet, our people, and for purpose.
Tell us about some of the areas where you have had the biggest impact.
Capital is the first brewery in Australia to be 100 per cent Climate Active Carbon Neutral certified and is a leader in sustainability within the industry. We invest in biodiversity and threatened species recovery projects, and are continually working towards emissions and resource reduction targets. Sustainability is at the core of our ethos, to make Good Natured Brews. Our current water usage is well below industry average, thanks to numerous water-saving initiatives around the brewery such as stream taps, hot water rings, and a centrifuge. We are also installing an innovative automated cellar tank cleaning system that recycles rinse water and chemicals to further reduce our water use.
Image: Sustainability Manager Dan Watters, 2021 Trees for Tomorrow Planting Day
We aim to divert as much waste as possible from landfill to compost or recycling. Between 2020 and 2021 we tivered 709 tonnes of spent grain, hops and yeast to Landtasia Organic Farm. That’s 78 per cent of our waste. Between 2021 and 2022, our goal is to increase our waste diversion to 82 per cent. We have also eliminated more than three-hundred 25 kilogram plastic grain bags per week by installing a grain silo. We offset the emissions we are presently unable to reduce, but are looking to implement several future strategies to continue reducing our greenhouse gases. Some of these include switching to more sustainably produced speciality malts, lobbying freight providers to move to electric fleets, and creating incentives for sustainable staff commuting.
We also have a strong commitment to the local community and have supported more than 450 organisations and charities to date. Staff and customer happiness is a top priority for the brewery and we’re dedicated to diversity, inclusion, and equality.
It’s always inspiring to see the tangible effects of a B Corp’s efforts to reduce their impact on the environment, particularly in industries where their environmental footprint might not be the first thing we think of when purchasing their products. What business practices would you like to see become the norm?
Climate change is undeniably the biggest challenge facing humanity today, and decarbonising our world ASAP is essential.
In becoming one of the first Australian breweries to achieve carbon neutrality for our entire organisation and all our products, we developed a template to allow any other brewery to more easily and efficiently calculate their own carbon footprint.
We have worked with our industry to demystify the process and encourage a rapid transition to net-zero emissions.
Our focus now is to shift to increasing sustainability and reducing emissions throughout our supply chain and working with the broader industry where collectively we can have a much greater impact.
Image: Capital Brewing Co. Team
Achieving carbon neutrality is an amazing accomplishment, well done! Were you inspired by any B Corps during your journey towards certification?
We’re proud to become one of only a few Aussie brewers to certify. We were particularly inspired by Stone & Wood and 4 Pines and the fabulous work they do in their communities and for our environment.
To finish off, do you have any tips for the aspiring Bs out there?
B Corp certification is a journey that opens your eyes to a whole new way of doing business.
Looking at your business under the B Corp microscope is a mind expanding exercise on how you can better deliver for your people, for the planet, and for purpose.
Video Source: Capital Brewing Co.
Congratulations to Capital Brewing Co. for certifying as a B Corp. If you’d like to keep up with what they’re doing, or want to learn more about their impact head over to: captialbrewing.co
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