Asheville, N.C. — Wicked Weed Brewing and its main production brewery located in Candler, N.C., has been award GOLD certification under the TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) rating system. Administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), TRUE helps facilities measure, improve and recognize zero waste performance by encouraging the adoption of sustainable waste management and reduction practices.
Wicked Weed Brewing is one of only three breweries in the United States to receive zero waste certification. To reach this milestone, Wicked Weed diverted its waste to 99.3%, sending less than 0.7% of over 18 million pounds of materials to landfills in 2023.
“Since Wicked Weed was founded in 2012, sustainability has been a cornerstone of our ethos and we’re honored that this certification recognizes our commitment to brewing our beer and operating our company with zero waste,” says Andrew Dagnan, director of safety & sustainability at Wicked Weed. “We remain more dedicated than ever to having a net positive impact on our people, communities and the environment.”
As part of its waste diversion, Wicked Weed:
• Sent over 100 tons of material for recycle and over 11,000 lbs. of materials to compost in 2023.
• Sent over 6,000 tons of spent grain as cattle feed in 2023.
• Switched to using reusable straps for shipping kegs locally to Wicked Weed locations, eliminating the use of plastic shrink wrap for securing local shipments.
• Changed to 100% recyclable packaging for shipping merchandise from the brewery’s online shop.
• Switched from using sample collection cups covered with aluminum foil to collection cups with reusable lids, eliminating 2,825 square feet of aluminum foil waste per year.
• Implemented online systems accessible via QR codes to replace paper forms and inspection sheets.
• Completed four successful zero-waste audits in 2023.
• Audited and implemented improvements to recycle, waste and compost collection areas with help from the “Green Freaks,” the brewery’s internal sustainability team and Waste Reduction Partners (WRP).
• Is working toward a goal to have standardized How2Recycle labeling on all of Wicked Weed’s consumer-facing products by 2025. This includes aluminum cans, glass bottles and can cardboard wraps.
• Partnered with CIRT to help consumers understand how and where to recycle Wicked Weed’s products in their area.
In addition, Wicked Weed created a community recycling area to collect items that are traditionally difficult to recycle — such as Styrofoam™, natural corks, plastic bags and PakTech can carriers — from both the public and employees. The company worked locally with Feed Me Foam, to host “Foam Fridays” and collected approximately 28 cubic yards of foam from the public to recycle and ensured that its packaged products were diverted from the landfill to better use by promote recycling of its products through partnerships with both How2Recycle and CIRT to ensure the recyclability of its products.
“Waste impacts every part of our communities and effective waste management strategies are critical to ensuring both public and environmental health,” says Peter Templeton, president and CEO, GBCI. “By pursuing TRUE certification, Wicked Weed demonstrates a commitment to sustainability and actions to reduce waste and resources throughout their system lifecycle.”
GBCI is the world’s leading sustainability and health certification and credentialing body. Established in 2008, GBCI exclusively administers project certifications and professional credentials and certificates within the framework of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating systems, as well as the PEER standard for power systems, the WELL Building Standard, the Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES), EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies), TRUE certification for zero waste and Investor Confidence Project (ICP) for energy efficiency retrofits. For more information, visit www.gbci.org.
Wicked Weed Brewing is an award-winning brewery based in Asheville, N.C. Founded in December 2012, Wicked Weed Brewing currently operates a 50-barrel production brewery, a sour beer production facility and four retail locations, including the original Brewpub in the heart of downtown Asheville, the Southeast’s first mixed-culture dedicated taproom, the Funkatorium, and the Wicked Weed West taproom. In 2019, Wicked Weed Brewing opened Cultura, a fine dining restaurant that was a 2020 semifinalist nominee for the James Beard Foundation Best New Restaurant award. For more information, visit www.WickedWeedBrewing.com.
SOURCE: Wicked Weed