Beer isn’t a major contributor to your carbon footprint, but it isn’t trivial either. Some estimates indicate a few bottles of imported lager per day might could add a metric ton of CO2e per year. That’s the equivalent of around 50,000 cups of black tea.
Here’s how beer’s carbon footprint compares to other drinks (in CO2e) Note: none of this information has been vetted. It’s just for fun.
Milk 800
Coffee 400
Beer 250
Coke 170
Wine 130
Brewery Emissions
No surprise InBev – the maker of Budweiser – is one of the larger carbon dioxide emitters. In 2021 it is estimated the company carbon dioxide emission totaled 4.14 million metric tons. This compares to 1.49 million metric tons for Heineken and 0.97 million metric tons for Molson Coors.
How about that IPA you love?
IPAs have become very popular. The U.S. hop industry is concentrated in the Pacific Northwest.
According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report, out of the 115.6 million pounds of hops harvested in the fall of 2021, 73% came from Washington state. Almost all the rest come from Oregon and Idaho, which harvested 12.6 million and 18.4 million pounds, respectively.
Most of the emissions – 72% - in growing and processing hops stem from drying of hops. Growing, drying, and processing one kilogram (kg) of hops into pellets generates the equivalent of 3.5 and to 4.1 kg of carbo dioxide.
But it’s packaging that is the largest contributor to beer's carbon footprint. 40% of all CO2 emissions in the life cycle of beer come from packaging, 22% from raw materials, 18% from retail and home refrigeration, 9% from manufacturing, 7% from retail and 4% from waste disposal.
The packaging carbon footprint varies widely depending upon the type of container. There are single-use glass bottles (most common), aluminum cans, reusable bottles, ands kegs. Unfortunately, the most common packages also have the worst carbon footprint.