Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2024

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

M.S.

Department

Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies

Degree Program

Interdisciplinary Studies concentration in Sustainability, MS

Committee Chair

Sluss, Tamara

Committee Co-Chair (if applicable)

Hausladen, Robert

Committee Member

Hausladen, Robert

Committee Member

Exmeyer, Patrick

Author's Keywords

Sustainability; brewing benchmarking; efficiency; environment; brewery

Abstract

The goals of this study were twofold: to further examine sustainability within the brewing industry through a literature analysis across four academic journals, and a benchmarking analysis of a Louisville, Kentucky brewery’s resource consumption and emissions production. Publications related to the brewing industry were examined for the presence of sustainability keywords: “efficiency, sustainability, carbon footprint, climate change and greenhouse gas”. Benchmarking examined the local brewery’s primary production facility to determine their performance compared to other surveyed breweries pursuing sustainability across the country. Literature examination found noticeable discrepancies between the appearance of sustainability topics within article abstracts and their discussion within publications. Benchmarking for the local brewery found deviation in resource use and greenhouse gas production compared to surveyed benchmarks from the larger industry. As brewing proliferates across the nation, further collaboration between industry leaders and researchers will serve as a vital catalyst for applications of sustainability within the brewing industry.

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