Beer giant sets record for water, energy efficiency

Beer brewer MillerCoors decreased its water and energy usage to record lows last year, the company said Wednesday.

In its 2014 sustainability report, MillerCoors said it using on average 3.48 barrels of water to brew one barrel of beer. That’s  9.1 percent decrease from 2012.

{mosads}Typically, U.S. breweries use over 6 barrels of water to produce a single barrel of beer.

“Our employees are our most valuable asset and the driving force behind our success in sustainability,” CEO of MillerCoors, Tom Long, said in a statement. “From expanding our flagship Free Rides program to reducing our water and energy use to all-time lows, our employees are dedicated to doing the right thing for our company, our communities and our consumers.”

MillerCoors, which brews Miller High LIfe, Miller LIte, Coors, Blue Moon, Mickey’s and more, also decreased its energy usage by 15.6 percent from 2012.

The reductions put the company well over its environmental goals it sought to reach by 2015.

To improve efficiency, MillerCoors said it used short interval controls throughout its brewing and packaging processes.