MillerCoors has announced that all eight of its major breweries have earned landfill-free verification through the sustainability division of the global nonprofit public health organization NSF International. MillerCoors, based in Chicago, has remained an industry leader in waste reduction since its first brewery reached landfill-free status in 2011 by leveraging key lessons and the passion of its people to brew beer more sustainably, the company says.

MillerCoors says it is the first beverage company to have all its major breweries verified as landfill-free by NSF International, Ann Arbor, Michigan, an independent organization that verifies landfill-free programs for companies around the world.

To earn verification, organizations must demonstrate that no more than 1 percent of waste generated at a single site, including recycling vendors, goes to the landfill. Additional criteria include documentation and implementation of waste sorting and management processes, active employee training programs and routine audits to ensure compliance.

“Receiving verification from such a reputable organization like NSF International is a tremendous accomplishment, and a testament to the progress we have made as a company and to the work of our employees,” says Kim Marotta, MillerCoors director of sustainability.

“We are so proud of this recognition, and it will help us build momentum in achieving our ambitious 2020 sustainability goals," she adds.

“MillerCoors commitment to stewardship has been strengthened by verification to NSF International’s landfill-free program,” says Jenny Oorbeck, general manager of sustainability, NSF International. “Verification to this program demonstrates that MillerCoors has a structured process to identify, quantify and manage waste streams ensuring landfill-free status. This achievement highlights MillerCoors’ dedication to environmental leadership and social responsibility.”

MillerCoors journey to landfill-free operations began in 2009, when the company set a goal to reduce brewery waste by 15 percent by 2015. MillerCoors’ Trenton, Ohio, brewery was its first landfill-free location. Trenton’s best practices have provided the foundation for implementing landfill-free processes throughout MillerCoors other major breweries. Since 2009, MillerCoors has reduced its waste across the organization by 89 percent, equal to keeping more than 9 million pounds of waste out of local landfills.

Achieving landfill-free operations at all major breweries is not the end of MillerCoors commitment to waste reduction. By 2020, the brewer aims to achieve landfill-free operations at all its major manufacturing sites in the U.S.

More information on MillerCoors waste reduction efforts and details on its sustainability strategy and 2020 goals, visit www.millercoors.com/sustainability. Read about MillerCoors’ commitment to sustainability in the March/April 2016 Renewable Energy from Waste cover story, “Committed at its Core.”