Craft breweries can reduce carbon footprint by 80% through value chain analysis.

Why It Matters

Understanding the full lifecycle impact of products is crucial for designers aiming to create more sustainable offerings. This research highlights that focusing solely on direct operational emissions is insufficient; the upstream and downstream elements of the value chain often hold the most significant environmental implications.

Key Finding

The study found that the majority of a craft beer's carbon footprint comes from factors outside the brewery itself, such as packaging materials and transportation. Specific areas like glass bottle production and secondary packaging contribute significantly, with potential reductions of up to 80% achievable by optimizing these elements.

Key Findings

• Scope 3 emissions constitute 57-95% of the total carbon footprint in craft brewing.
• Packaging, wort boiling, and secondary/tertiary packaging are significant emission hotspots.
• Carbon footprints can range from 205 gCO2e/L (steel kegs, low carbon scenario) to 1483 gCO2e/L (glass bottles, high carbon scenario).

Research Evidence

Aim: To develop an open-source carbon footprint calculator for the UK craft brewing value chain to identify emission hotspots and facilitate decarbonisation efforts.

Method: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and data modelling.

Procedure: A carbon footprint calculator was developed using transparent, open-source data specific to the UK craft brewing industry. The calculator was used to assess various packaging types across low, medium, and high carbon footprint scenarios, identifying key emission sources within the value chain.

Context: Craft brewing industry, UK

Design Principle

Design for a reduced carbon footprint by optimizing the entire value chain, with a particular emphasis on Scope 3 emissions.

How to Apply

Use the principles of this study to conduct a value chain analysis for any product, identifying the most impactful areas for sustainability improvements, especially focusing on indirect emissions.

Limitations

The calculator's accuracy is dependent on the quality and completeness of the input data, and regional variations in energy grids and supply chains may affect global applicability.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: This study shows that for craft breweries, most of the environmental impact comes from things like bottles, cans, and boxes, not just the brewing process itself. By choosing better packaging and thinking about the whole journey of the product, they can make a big difference in reducing their carbon footprint.

Why This Matters: Understanding the carbon footprint of a product's entire lifecycle is crucial for making truly sustainable design choices. This research demonstrates that significant environmental gains can be made by addressing factors beyond the immediate manufacturing process.

Critical Thinking: How might the findings regarding packaging's impact on carbon footprint influence design choices for other consumer goods, and what are the potential trade-offs between sustainability and other design considerations like cost, aesthetics, and functionality?

IA-Ready Paragraph: This research highlights the critical role of Scope 3 emissions in the overall carbon footprint of products within the craft brewing industry, with packaging and secondary materials being significant contributors. The study's development of an open-source calculator and identification of emission hotspots provides a valuable framework for designers to conduct similar life cycle assessments, emphasizing the need to address indirect environmental impacts to achieve substantial sustainability improvements.

Project Tips

• When analysing your design's environmental impact, don't just look at the materials you use directly, but also consider how they are made, transported, and disposed of.
• Look for opportunities to reduce 'indirect' emissions, which are often the largest part of a product's footprint.

How to Use in IA

• Reference this study when discussing the importance of life cycle assessment (LCA) in your design project, particularly for identifying and quantifying Scope 3 emissions.
• Use the findings on packaging as evidence for why specific material choices or packaging strategies are more sustainable.

Examiner Tips

• Demonstrate an understanding that sustainability extends beyond direct manufacturing impacts to encompass the entire product lifecycle, including supply chains and end-of-life scenarios.
• Show how you have considered Scope 3 emissions in your design decisions.

Independent Variable: ["Packaging type (e.g., steel keg, glass bottle, can)","Carbon footprint scenario (low, medium, high)"]

Dependent Variable: ["Carbon footprint (gCO2e per litre of beer)"]

Controlled Variables: ["Beer type","Brewery size/scale","Geographic location (UK)"]

Strengths

• Development of a practical, open-source tool for industry use.
• Focus on a specific industry (craft brewing) to provide detailed insights.
• Identification of novel emission hotspots.

Critical Questions

• To what extent can the findings regarding packaging be generalized to other beverage industries or consumer products?
• What are the economic implications for craft breweries adopting more sustainable packaging solutions identified in this study?

Extended Essay Application

• An Extended Essay could investigate the feasibility and impact of implementing specific low-carbon packaging solutions identified in this research within a chosen craft brewery.
• Further research could explore the consumer perception and willingness to pay for craft beer with a demonstrably lower carbon footprint.

Source

Development of an open-source carbon footprint calculator of the UK craft brewing value chain · Journal of Cleaner Production · 2023 · 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.140181