Today the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) marks the release of select results from the 2014 benchmarking study. In its eighth year of benchmarking, BIER recognized a number of key findings pointing to continued efforts on the part of the beverage industry to improve water and energy usage. With participation from over 1,700 facilities across six continents representing 18 member beverage companies and one industry peer, this is the most comprehensive quantitative benchmark study of water and energy use and efficiency in the beverage industry.

At an industry level, water and energy use ratios generally decreased over the five year study period as production volume increased (See Figures 1 and 2 Attached). Performance improvement was also seen at the facility level: 75 percent of facilities that provided five years of data improved their water use ratio, and 58 percent improved their energy use ratio.

“Through these ongoing benchmarking studies, the results show the beverage industry’s continued focus on transparency and leadership in resource stewardship,” says Laura Nelson, Consultant for Antea Group and BIER Benchmarking Project Manager. “BIER’s increased member participation from leading beverage industry companies provides a robust data set that readily reflects the broad spectrum of beverage facilities in the industry; that is what makes this study so successful.”

The 2014 study reflects an amended data set – the 2009 to 2012 values previously reported in past studies have been revised in this new report and should be the referenced historic performance values moving forward. BIER has elected to move to biennial benchmarking and hopes to move toward incorporating carbon emissions in the next benchmarking study, to be conducted in 2016.