CO2-neutral brewery in 2025
Reducing CO2 & energy consumption
Susan Ladrak
"Our ambition is a CO2 neutral brewery by 2025."
Reducing CO₂ & energy consumption
We are proud of the great results we manage to achieve every year in terms of reducing our energy consumption. It is our ambition to be an entirely carbon-neutral brewery by 2025, in which all energy we use is generated in a sustainable manner.
We have not achieved all of our efficiency targets because we had a lower than expected volume performance in 2022. We have invested a great deal of time and effort in our energy transition projects. The project was therefore completed six weeks early, which meant a higher reduction of CO2 emissions.
Objective
TDE (Total Direct Energy) necessary for the production and filling of our products: 87.62 MJ/hl.
Result
92.56 MJ/hl.
Objective
Beer/CO2 efficiency: 2.7 kgCO2eq/hl.
Result
Beer/CO2 efficiency: 2.83 kg CO2eq/hl.
Objective
Optimise cooling installation in collaboration with University of Twente.
Result
Report delivered and initial improvements made. Further optimisation is included in the strategic plan.
Objective
Standardise and introduce Kaizen to packaging.
Result
First steps have been taken on the returnable bottle line. This is being expanded further and rolled out across other filling lines in 2023.
Objective
Implement pump optimisation from 2021 study.
Result
There was further optimisation of glycol pumps in Q4 2021 following implementation.
Objective
Optimise brewery heating consumption.
Result
Evaporation during the brewery process has been reduced by 5%, which saved approximately 0,5MJ/hl.
Objective
Optimise degassed water system.
Result
This has been postponed.
Objective
Implement energy transition projects.
Result
These have all been implemented and completed earlier than planned. We have achieved a significant reduction in natural gas (FY 2.7 MJ/hl). Our heating has been supplied by Twence since 14 November 2022, which resulted in a reduction of CO2 emissions from natural gas by 725 tons in 2022.
Objective
Optimise CO₂ system.
Result
Adjustments have been made so that we can recover more CO2 from fermentation and therefore need to buy less. The installation of an extra tank will take place in 2023, which means we can become 100% self-sufficient.
Objective
Optimise water and energy consumption by bottle washing machines.
Result
Heat exchangers were replaced in Q4 2022, results will be visible in 2023.
Objective
Optimise water and energy consumption by KL03 bottle warmer.
Result
Implemented, this saves 0,34 MJ/hl.
Objective
ISO 50001 Energy management certification audit.
Result
Audit carried out successfully in 2022.
OBJECTIVES 2023
- Total Direct Energy: 84.54 MJ/hl
- CO2 emissions: 1.0 kgCO2eq/hl (based on 2.6 million hl packed)
- Improve efficiency of the packaging of our beer
- Install solar panels in carpark for charging electric cars with self-generated electricity
- Switch off decorative lighting in the fermenting rooms/lager cellars at night
- Optimise heat exchange of bottle washing machines on the return lines.
- Optimise consumption of compressed air, including reduction of leaks
- Optimise cooling system controls, so the most optimal use can be made of the condensers, depending on outside conditions
- Replace shrink wrap machine on the can line (natural gas reduction)
- Work out detailed design for final steps to becoming a CO2-neutral brewery
Susan Ladrak, Sustainability Manager - Royal Grolsch
"We reduce our brewery’s overall carbon emissions every year, but there is still a lot we have to do if we want to be 90% climate neutral by 2050, as is stipulated by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Governments and companies committed themselves to these objectives, and that includes Grolsch! The commissioning of Twence's heat pipeline will reduce our CO₂ emissions by 72% - about 5,500 tonnes a year - and by 2022 we will have largely switched from fossil energy to renewable energy. A huge step in realising our ambition to be a fully carbon-neutral brewery by 2025. We see it as our responsibility to contribute to a better, greener and circular world."
Activities
Green gas
Since 2022, we have been producing green gas from our own wastewater. A green gas installation has been installed on the brewery site that will produce 1 million Nm3 of green gas from biogas annually. This corresponds to the gas consumption of about 700 Twente households. The green gas, a sustainable replacement for fossil natural gas, will be blended into the existing natural gas network. With the arrival of the heat pipeline - a sustainable collaboration with Twence - it was necessary to give the biogas produced in the wastewater treatment plant another purpose, in which it will still be put to optimal use. The technology was provided by bioenergy company and fellow townsman HoSt Group. We are very proud of this green, regional cooperation.
'Turn the switch'
Royal Grolsch and the Municipality of Enschede have jointly activated the 'Turn the switch' campaign in Enschede city centre at the end of 2022. The energy-saving campaign was launched nationwide in April 2022 and renewed at the end of 2022. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness around gas and energy consumption among households and businesses. Through specially designed beer mats, table cards and a social media campaign, attention is drawn to energy saving.
Smart combinations save 200 tons of CO2 per year in transport
Sustainable heat from Twence
100% green energy
Electricity savings for the brewery with sun-resistant foil
At the brewery, a sun-resistant foil is applied to the windows of the filtration area. This foil blocks up to around 60% of the sun's heat radiation. The filtration area is a room that is cooled to 12 degrees to, among other things, prevent the growth of microbiology. The sun-resistant foil decreases the amount of heat radiation that enters the filtration area, thus decreasing the amount of energy required to cool the space. Because we generate this energy ourselves with electricity, the foil provides electricity savings for the brewery of approximately 30,000 kWh per year. This is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of over 20 households.
Using a heat camera, the difference between a window that has not yet been covered with sun-resistant foil and a window that has been covered with sun-resistant foil has been measured. This measurement showed great results even on a cloudy day. The heat camera showed that, on the inside of the filtration area, a window without foil has a temperature of 19.4 degrees. A window with sun-resistant foil has a temperature of 16.0 degrees. The temperature difference between the glass and the filtration area itself is approximately halved by applying the sun-resistant foil - in cloudy weather.
Energy Transition Plan
It is our ambition to be an entirely carbon-neutral brewery by 2025, in which all energy we use is generated in a sustainable manner. To this end, we will continue to reduce energy consumption and increase biogas production. In addition, we are working towards replacing fossil fuels with sustainable, carbon-neutral energy sources. This led us to switch to sustainably generated electricity on 1 January 2020, for instance. This move alone is set to reduce carbon emissions by approximately 50%.
In order to become entirely carbon neutral, all energy used must be generated in a sustainable manner. We have drawn up a roadmap for this purpose and are currently working hard to put the first steps into practice. We want to be able to fulfil approximately 2/3 of our heat requirement sustainably by 2023, by means of the following projects: Biogas Optimisation, Test for replacement incinerator, and Sustainable heat supply from Twence.
