P2 Assistance for Craft Beverage Manufacturers
Breweries, wineries, cideries, and distilleries–craft beverage producers–burgeoned as a sector in recent years in the Northeast. There are many opportunities to implement P2 and sustainability practices at these facilities to significantly reduce energy consumption, waste water discharges, water use, and waste.
Foundation Work
Starting in 2021, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), in collaboration with NEWMOA and with support from Weston and Sampson Engineering Inc., provided direct technical assistance to craft beverage manufacturers. This technical assistance involved facility level assessments, wastewater sampling, identification of best management practices (BMPs), and development of case studies. NEWMOA and RIDEM developed self-certification checklists including BMPs and P2 practices to be used by breweries to gain recognition as a Rhode Island sustainable brewery.
Regional Collaboration
Several other states in the region, including New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, were developing similar P2 programs for the craft beverage sector. Seeing the potential of regional collaboration, Region 1 of the USEPA supported the work further by funding a network coordinated by NEWMOA. This network was able to pool resources such as training, presentations, case studies, information sheets, and the recognition checklists themselves. NEWMOA and the New England Environmental Finance Center (NEEFC), out of the University of Southern Maine, worked together to bring the state programs under a single brand: BetterBev.
BetterBev
The BetterBev logo and brand style was developed with the assistance of a contracted marketing firm. And from there, the network was able to develop a BetterBev website — a one-stop resource for craft beverage producers anywhere to use our resources to brew more sustainably.
An online BetterBev Recognition application program now also complements the resources on the website so that producers can connect and apply. And in 2025, NEWMOA launched a social media campaign on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook to generate excitement about the effort and attract more producers to the program.
Through renewed US EPA funding in partnership with RIDEM, NEWMOA continues to organize and support the multi-state workgroup for the Northeast, with a growing list of partners as far away as Hawaii. We also continue to develop online and in-person trainings, case studies, webinars, social media promotions, and outreach to support sustainable production in our region and beyond.
