RED Stripe on Monday revealed its intention to become carbon neutral by 2011, noting that its sustainable use of natural resources was critical to its own survival as a business over the long term.

Being carbon neutral or producing a zero carbon footprint is about realising net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset. In other words, the same amount of carbon dioxide that you release into the atmosphere, you find some way to remove from it.

“We will produce zero waste to landfill through sustainable packaging, minimising our packaging material and using material that is recyclable,” said Dianne Ashton-Smith, communications manager at Red Stripe.

She was addressing the launch of the 2009 Jamaica Institute of Environmental Professionals (JIEP) fourth biennial conference at Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Monday. Red Stripe is among the sponsors of that conference.

“As a brewery, we at Red Stripe depend on the natural environment for our raw materials. In fact, ninety-five per cent of beer is water and the availability of malted barley, hops and other ingredients we use to make the beloved Red Stripe Beer are dependent on a healthy environment,” Ashton-Smith said. “Environmental sustainability is therefore key to our own survival and as such we unequivocally support all efforts to heighten environmental awareness, preserve the natural environment and promote sustainability.”

It is for this reason that the company will, over the next year, spend $75 million on energy-saving projects, implementing a variety of initiatives to advance its efforts to achieve its 2011 target. These programmes, will, among other things, facilitate the efficient use of water and other resources.

“We are also implementing a number of programmes that will ensure zero water pollution and zero water stress with the objective of doubling our water efficiency and in so doing reduce the amount of water we use to make a litre of beer,” said Ashton-Smith.

Already the company has invested in a $550-million state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant in order to eliminate the negative environmental impact of effluent from their facility.

Jacob Mclean, Red Stripe’s risk and compliance manager who is also a JIEP member and qualified environmental professional, is to present a paper at the two-day conference next month on the technology used for the plant.

The conference, entitled: “Climate change: The Caribbean response”, will be hosted at Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on May 26 and May 27.

“The paper will also examine the company’s need for a sustainable operation, the processes involved in the treatment of our effluent stream, our operational practices, our compliance to regulatory requirements and the possible beneficial use of treated effluent to reduce the site’s water ratio, especially against the background of the pressures generated by climate change and the likelihood of future water stress in the region,” noted Ashton-Smith.

The company, for its efforts to date, was recently rewarded with the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce environmental award.