B Corps around the world mark March as a time to celebrate our efforts. We are proud to be a part of this movement: the idea that good business can go hand in hand with sustainability and social responsibility. Through the use of solar energy, zero-waste production, local volunteering, and more, we strive every day to create the best version of the world we would want to pass down to future generations.
Why B Corp?
After decades of commitment to positive impact through sustainability-focused business practices, it only made sense to pursue B Corp Certification, which we achieved in 2015. At that time, Founding Brewmaster and then President of North Coast Brewing Mark Ruedrich said, “Pursuing B Corp™ certification was a natural fit for North Coast. We have always operated with the understanding that our business success depends on taking care of our employees, our community, and the environment. This certification and rigorous set of standards recognizes these values and challenges us to ask how we can do more. We hope that our participation will also help inspire other breweries to lead positive change.”
Our B Corp Sustainability Initiatives
We didn’t stop there. In 2016, we became TRUE Zero Waste Platinum certified and are proud to still be today. To keep this certification, we divert 98% of our solid waste from the landfill. You might recycle your bottles and cans, but do you ever think of the packaging involved before your beer even makes it to you? For example, in keeping with our TRUE Zero Waste commitment, we return reusable parts of our glass packaging back to the manufacturer and recycle the rest. Another big part of our Zero Waste commitment is giving our spent grain a second life as compost. Six times a week, we load our truck with the leftover biodegradables from our brewing process and deliver them to Fortunate Farm just down the road in Caspar, CA.
In 2016, all of our year-round beers were verified by the Non-GMO Project. The only reason our barrel-aged beers aren’t verified is because we can’t guarantee that no GMOs were used in the spirits previously stored in the barrels before they came to us. Otherwise, we would have verified our barrel-aged beers as well. Using these high-quality ingredients ensures that everyone down the line benefits as Fortunate Farm gets GMO free compost to use. Plus, it simply makes for better beer!
We are also proud of the solar array on our brewhouse roof, helping to reduce our environmental impact. By harnessing the power of the sun, we generate clean energy to power our brewing process, lowering our
Living and working by the ocean has instilled in us a deep respect for conserving water and for making sure we keep our ocean water clean. That’s why we’ve implemented an internal water recycling program at our brewery. By capturing and reusing water throughout our brewing process, we minimize waste and reduce our overall water consumption. Along with our recycling practices, the NCBC brewery team is diligent in maintaining our equipment and managing our resources. From inspecting our water lines for leaks to modifying the drains to ensure that we discharge every possible drop of our water into the municipal wastewater treatment plant rather than into gutters as direct outflow to the ocean, our team works hard to keep brewery contaminants (anything that isn’t stormwater) from entering the stormwater system. As a result, our facility meets the California State Water Resources Control Board requirements at the highest level, “No Exposure.”
Living the B Corp Life Every Day
We believe in the power of giving back to the communities that have supported us. As part of our ongoing commitment to social responsibility, we donate a portion of the sales from Brother Thelonious to support music education, and North Coast Steller IPA towards marine mammal research & rescue. We also proudly contribute to the Mark E. Ruedrich Brewing Diversity Scholarship, which we started in 2020. In addition, we support a variety of local organizations, ensuring that our contributions make a direct impact in the communities where we live and work. “Through these donations, we are honored to help drive positive change, promote sustainability, and invest in a brighter future for all,” said Jennifer Owen, CEO/CFO of North Coast Brewing Co.
We also support our community through volunteering. Every year, our employees donate hundreds of hours of their time working hard for causes they care about in our community. We also organize an annual employee beach clean-up, encouraging our North Coast Brewing team to spend a Saturday picking up trash to beautify one of our local beaches.
Conclusion
At North Coast Brewing, Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword. We endeavor to embody the B Corp lifestyle every day, from our green initiatives to our donations and community involvement. Check out our annual Sustainability Report (released every April) to read more and get the actual data behind our B Corp initiatives. Join the movement! Together we can make the world a better place, one pint at a time.
We also support our community through volunteering. Every year, our employees donate hundreds of hours of their time working hard for causes they care about in our community. We also organize an annual employee beach clean-up, encouraging our North Coast Brewing team to spend a Saturday picking up trash to beautify one of our local beaches.
Conclusion
At North Coast Brewing, Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword. We endeavor to embody the B Corp lifestyle every day, from our green initiatives to our donations and community involvement. Check out our annual Sustainability Report (released every April) to read more and get the actual data behind our B Corp initiatives. Join the movement! Together we can make the world a better place, one pint at a time.
