| 7 T T Ange Davidson Innovative brewery all about sustainability Garage Project’s latest offering is Treehugger, a 4% crisp pilsner made from 100 percent New Zealand ingredients. Garage Project REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Call us on 0800 240 120 Residential, commercial & recycling services Enviro NZ is proud to be Garage Project’s preferred recycling and resource recovery par ner. environz.co.nz Sustainable is the new green and Garage Project have it in spades. The latest offering from the iconic brewery in Aro Valley in Wellington, is Treehugger, a 4% crisp pilsner made from 100% New Zealand ingredients. The innovative brewery has focused on sustainability increasingly since its inception in 2011, looking after their employees and engaging with the community by throwing their support behind people doing great things across the country, while also making their products as low impact on the environment as possible. Steve Almond, Garage Projects sustainability manager says Garage Project views sustainability as three pillars - Community, People, and the Environment. “The purpose of Treehugger is to fund trees given directly to grassroots community groups for planting projects. $1 per six pack is given to Trees for Canterbury who grow the trees and we’ve donated $15,000 so far. “In addition, we’ve tried out a range of sustainable production processes all at once with Treehugger, making it our most sustainable beer yet. By focusing on the environmental sustainability of one beer, it’s an easier process to take those learnings over to other products,” says Steve. “Where we brew Treehugger, we’re now using nitrogen to remove the oxygen in the can prior to filling with beer from the tank. We used a food grade CO2 in the past which is a by-product of the oil and gas industry and has seen a price hike of 400% in the last few years. Nitrogen is cheaper and better for the environment.” With the ethos of doing more with less raw materials, the packaging of Treehugger uses more recycled components and less virgin paper. The outside of the shipping carton uses a reworked black which is from left over ink from other packaging. The outside of the 6-pack and outer box is plant or water-based ink and the can recyclable. “The cans have a pretty good chance of being recycled as they are of high value. At present the raw sheets of aluminium for cans comes from Korea or China, the cans are manufactured in Auckland and recycled in the Middle East!” says Steve. “The beer itself is brewed at higher gravity which means it is boiled for less time and uses less natural gas per litre. By brewing 1000 litres of 8 % alcohol beer and diluting it to 4%, we’re making 2000 litres of beer and minimising resources. We use barley from Canterbury that’s freighted by rail and hops from Nelson which reduces our emissions and freight costs.” Water is a vital part of brewing and Garage Project is supporting the Million Metres Streams Project waterway restoration planting at Baring Head and Wainuiomata Stream by helping fund their planting and coordinating the annual Garage Project team planting day. And the beer? Treehugger is a clean, beautifully balanced aromatic beer that’s perfect for summer. It combines plump, sun-ripened Canterbury barley with Southern Cross, Nelson Sauvin and Riwaka hops from Upper Moutere. It’s also good for the environment and the community. What’s not to love? “ By focusing on the environmental sustainability of one beer, it’s an easier process to take those learnings over to other products.” Packaging Central ˏȫˏcasectrlȲ+&%"/Ȑ +) Proudly Supplying Quality Corrugated Packaging to Garage Project ojifs.com
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