Sustainable Practices in Virginia Breweries

The Virginia Green program provides guidance, resources, and incentives to tourism-related businesses that want to decrease the environmental impacts of their operations. As part of DEQ's commitment to Virginia Green, individual pollution prevention assessments are being offered to Virginia breweries. The goal is to share sustainable techniques with the industry, encourage implementation of these techniques, and promote these efforts to the public.

For each participating brewery Virginia Green:

• Performs a site visit to learn about the facility's operations.
  • Document innovative practices used by the facility.
  • Share techniques that have been successful at other breweries.
• Provides a brewery-specific summary.
  • Any issues or opportunities for innovative practices are researched and reported back to the brewery.
  • A summary write-up is generated featuring sustainability efforts and opportunities specific to the brewery.
  • Information from the summaries will be turned into a Virginia DEQ/Virginia Green resource document available for other breweries to utilize.
• Promotes green practices to potential customers.
  • breweries are featured on social media to promote their sustainability efforts.
  • Breweries are provided with a certificate of participation highlighting practices already in place.
  • Virginia Green provides free certification as a Virginia Green Travel partner for participating in the project.

Examples of sustainable techniques include:

• Install strip curtains on walk-in refrigerators.
• Ensure refrigerator door seals are airtight.
• Install LED lighting.
• Design coolers with insulated floors to increase efficiency.
• Capture CO₂ from fermentation to reduce the amount purchased.
• Create a green team to lead environmental initiatives.
• Use Safer Choice certified cleaning products.

Breweries currently participating:

• COVA Brewing Company
• Elation Brewing
• Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
• Murphy & Rude Malting Co.
• Old Bust Head Brewing Company
• Port City Brewing Company
• Smartmouth Brewing Co. (Norfolk & Virginia Beach)
• Stable Craft Brewing
• Stone Brewing Tap Room - Richmond
• Three Notch'd Brewing Company
• The Veil Brewing Co.

For more information on participating in this program and scheduling a free pollution prevention assessment at your brewery, reach out to Keith.Boisvert@DEQ.Virginia.gov. 

All breweries that make the commitment to partner with Virginia Green to complete an on-site assessment receive a certificate documenting the green practices that they have in place. DEQ's Office of Pollution Prevention follows up with additional site-specific recommendations aimed at reducing environmental impacts.