Jackson Hole, Wyoming’s Roadhouse Brewing has been named one of the most eco-friendly companies in the world by B Lab, the global non-profit organization that certifies socially conscious B Corporations. Thanks to its ambitious sustainability programs, Roadhouse has earned its place as a “Best for the World” business in the environment category for 2021. This means the nine-year-old brewery places in the top 5% of B Corps of similar size when evaluated by B Lab’s point-based metrics.
Out of more than a dozen American B Corp breweries, Colorado’s New Belgium Brewing also received “Best for the World” awards — in both the Environment and Workers categories. Community, Customers, and Governance round out B Lab’s remaining “impact areas.”
To qualify as a B Corp, a company must, according to Roadhouse, “Meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.”
“This year’s Best for the World companies are operating at the very top of their class, excelling in creating positive impact for their stakeholders, including their workers, communities, customers and the environment,” says Juan Pablo Larenas, executive director of B Lab Global. “Together we’re marching toward our collective vision of an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economic system for all people and the planet.”
Roadhouse, which falls into the 10-49 employees grouping and attained B Corp status in 2018, boasts robust eco-initiatives like chemical recycling; carbon dioxide and steam recapturing and recycling systems; a generator that pulls nitrogen from the air to eliminate the need to have nitro tanks shipped; and an on-site solar panel array to offset its electricity usage.
Additionally, the brewery participates in a MicroStar Logistics keg-sharing program that keeps empty kegs in the markets that have consumed them instead of sending them back to the brewery — sometimes thousands of miles away — that filled them. Roadhouse also takes advantage of Jackson Hole’s long winter by using a louver system that links to a thermostat in the beer storage cooler. The louvers open and close as needed to keep the cooler at an even 34 degrees. A backup chiller kicks on in warmer temperatures.
“Our company was born in the Teton Mountains. We built sustainability into our mission because we revere the natural beauty of this place we’re lucky enough to call home, and believe that as a business we have a responsibility to our environment, our people and our community,” says president and COO Jody Valenta.
To determine eligibility for certification and Best for the World status, B Lab assigns sustainability points for inputs, outputs, “land, office, plant,” “transportation, distribution and suppliers,” and manufacturing process. In exchange for placing in the top 5%, winners will be encouraged to share their best practices with other B Corps through webinars, papers, presentations and the like.
B Lab lists 4,000 Certified B Corps across 77 countries and 153 industries. Philadelphia’s Triple Bottom Brewing and Athens, Georgia’s Creature Comforts Brewing both earned their certification in April, making them the latest additions to the brewery roster.