MillerCoors, an American brewer with more than 450 years of combined heritage, yesterday announced that its Milwaukee brewery and corporate offices are landfill-free.

The brewer eliminated 65 tons of waste that was previously sent to landfill each month from its brewery and corporate offices, logging its first landfill-free month at the brewery in December 2014. This marks MillerCoors first complete campus – brewery plus corporate offices – to achieve landfill-free operations and the seventh of the company’s eight major breweries to reach this milestone. MillerCoors details its waste reduction successes and other sustainability achievements in the company’s 2015 Sustainability Report, which was released today.

"We’re proud to achieve landfill-free status in the place we’ve called home for more than 160 years," said Fernando Palacios, executive vice president and chief integrated supply chain officer. "MillerCoors remains committed to protecting local resources, lessening our impact on the environment and being a good neighbor by continuing to look for ways we can brew beer more sustainably, including eliminating waste sent to landfills." 

The Milwaukee brewery reduced waste by 19 percent over the last year and now generates approximately 15 tons of waste per month. That residual waste, which cannot be reused or recycled, is sent to a waste-to-energy facility in La Crosse, a best practice across MillerCoors. Companywide, the brewer reduced waste sent to landfill by more than 448 tons in 2014. By 2020, MillerCoors hopes to achieve landfill-free status at all its major manufacturing facilities, including the Fort Worth brewery in Texas.

"As we look ahead to 2020, we are focused on building upon our heritage to brew a sustainable future," said Kim Marotta, MillerCoors director of sustainability. "We’ve updated our sustainability strategy to reflect our past successes and to challenge ourselves in new ways. In MillerCoors 2015 Sustainability Report, we highlight how we’re embedding environmental stewardship across our operations, both inside our breweries and throughout our supply chain."

MillerCoors 2015 Sustainability Report details the company’s achievements against its 2015 goals and introduces the brewer’s updated sustainability strategy and 2020 goals. The company is strengthening its focus on the areas in which it will have the greatest impact, including restoring the water used in its products through stewardship projects, reducing its carbon footprint, increasing diversity amongst management positions and encouraging beer drinkers to enjoy MillerCoors products responsibly.

For more information on MillerCoors waste reduction efforts, details on its sustainability strategy and 2020 goals, or to view the 2015 Sustainability Report, visit the company's website.