Traditional beer brewing uses lots of water and energy. We have shared stories of many green breweries like Swinkels Family Brewery in the Netherlands, which uses sustainable iron fuel energy to brew their beer. Today we bring you another innovative company that is striving to become the first carbon-negative brewery in Canada. 

Toronto-based Karbon Brewing Co. has partnered with another startup to implement carbon accounting software that it plans to use to achieve carbon negativity by 2024. Rather than purchasing carbon offsets to achieve their goal, Karbon is relying on technical advances like filters, CO2 recyclers, CO2 capture machines, and renewable energy to actually capture more CO2 than they produce. 

A big part of their carbon negative plan is making the most of locally-sourced ingredients. Their hops come from a Toronto farm just a couple of hours away from headquarters. They plan to launch their first line of beers in the next couple of months. 

In addition to carbon, the company is taking a hard look at its packaging. While many companies have eliminated plastic rings, which are non-recyclable and hazardous to sea life, Karbon is going one step further and investing in fully biodegradable 4- and 6-pack drink holders with recyclable drink sleeves.

We will continue to follow Karbon on their journey to carbon negative beer. If they are successful, their model could provide a blueprint for carbon negative or neutral breweries around the world. About their journey, co-founder Stephen Tyson told Treehugger, “Traditionally the innovation in the craft beer industry has been around new recipe development and beer style. We wanted to change the focus towards the brewing process and cleaning up the supply chain.” 

Image source: Karbon Brewing Co.