Environmental

Peats Soil & Garden Supplies Environmental Management Award

Winner: Coopers Brewery

Coopers Brewery in Adelaide is Australia’s sole remaining family owned brewer and third largest in Australia. Established in 1862 and employing 108 staff, Coopers Brewery specialises in the production of premium beers, home brew beer concentrates, and liquid malt extract, a food additive. Coopers Brewery is a signatory to the Federal Government’s Greenhouse Challenge, and has identified and addressed environmental issues such as visual impact, noise, traffic congestion, waste management, demand for water and power and disposal of wastes in the development of its Regency Park Brewery.

The judges considered Coopers Brewery an outstanding entrant for the Environmental Management Award. The company demonstrated a methodical and all-encompassing approach to environmental issues integrating their environmental with operational management in a seamless way.

The judges were impressed with the long-term view taken by Coopers involving significant investment, for example:

• In cogeneration technology that delivers both operational and environmental benefits and serves as a supplementary power supply to the community;
• In water resources management that minimises demand for process waters to significantly less than average industry standard and makes best use of existing low quality supplies;
• in waste reduction that virtually eliminates odours, noise and other public nuisances

Coopers Brewery demonstrated the ability to be both financially and environmentally sustainable. It was impressive that a company of this size and in this location had addressed its environmental issues so well that public, especially neighbour, complaints were almost non-existent.