Inside BIER's Water, Energy, and Emissions Benchmarking Study

Workstream Feature Series NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / July 16, 2026 / Welcome to the BIER Workstream Feature Series, a new content series that provides members, partners, and industry stakeholders with a closer look at the collaborative initiatives, technical expertise, and practical resources that advance environmental sustainability across the beverage sector. Each feature will highlight one of BIER's active workstreams, exploring the challenges being addressed, the value being delivered to members, and the role collective action plays in supporting industry-wide progress. Through these conversations, readers will gain greater visibility into the work happening behind the scenes and the collaborative efforts that help transform shared challenges into practical solutions.This month, we are highlighting BIER's Water, Energy, and Emissions Benchmarking Study, one of the coalition's longest-running initiatives. For nearly two decades, benchmarking has helped participating companies better understand operational performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and gain insight into environmental sustainability trends across the beverage sector. The study provides BIER members with normalized data and analysis that can support performance evaluation, goal setting, and continuous improvement efforts.To learn more, we spoke with Eileen Lo, Senior Manager and BIER's Benchmarking Workstream Lead.What is the purpose of this workstream?The Benchmarking Study provides participating members with a better understanding of environmental performance across the beverage sector by collecting and analyzing facility-level data related to water use, energy consumption, and Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions.The study allows participating companies to benchmark their performance against aggregated industry data[1] and gain insights into operational trends, efficiency opportunities, and sustainability performance across different beverage facility types.What key issue is it addressing?The beverage industry continues to face rising expectations for improved resource efficiency, climate action, environmental reporting, and operational performance.The Benchmarking Study helps address a fundamental challenge facing many organizations: understanding how performance compares across the broader industry and identifying opportunities for improvement using credible, comparable data.By providing meaningful benchmarking data, the study supports informed decision-making and helps companies better understand environmental performance trends across water, energy, and emissions metrics.Why does this work matter to members and the industry?As shared by our members, one of the most valuable aspects of the Benchmarking Study is that it enables them to understand how their facilities compare to overall industry performance.The reports help members benchmark themselves against industry averages, evaluate progress toward sustainability goals, and identify opportunities for improvement.The study also provides historical trend data, allowing participants to compare current performance against previous reporting periods. This helps companies better understand whether implemented programs are driving measurable sustainability improvements and identify efficiency factors that may influence performance over time.Beyond individual companies, the study contributes to sustainability evaluation for the broader industry by providing aggregated insights that support shared learning and continuous improvement across the beverage sector.How has the workstream evolved over time?Originally, the Benchmarking Study focused primarily on water performance.As climate-related discussions and expectations increased, members expressed interest in expanding the study to include energy and greenhouse gas emissions metrics. As a result, the benchmark evolved into the Water, Energy, and Emissions Benchmarking Study.The study has also expanded its analytical capabilities. In addition to examining performance across facility types such as breweries, wineries, distilleries, and bottling facilities, BIER has conducted best-in-class analyses to better understand the technologies, tactics, and operational practices associated with top-performing facilities.Members are increasingly interested not only in performance data but also in understanding the operational strategies and best practices that support improved efficiency and sustainability outcomes.What is a current focus area or challenge?The Benchmarking Team continues to improve the Benchmarking Study, working with participants to enhance data quality and evaluate opportunities to incorporate additional metrics that are meaningful to BIER members. Additionally, the Benchmarking Team strives to encourage submission of supplemental data specific to each facility type, which will help to identify process and product-related efficiency drivers for sustainability performance.Overall, the Team is focused on continuously improving the report, building on the Study's foundation to provide deeper insights and greater value for the beverage sector.What is one insight or takeaway people may not realize?The highly collaborative nature of the benchmarking process cannot be overstated. The study extends beyond participating companies and includes collaboration with industry associations and other stakeholders, helping create a broader platform for knowledge sharing and collective progress."The realization that so many large companies, that are competitors, can collaborate on these sustainability initiatives, is encouraging and impressive," shares Eileen, the Benchmarking Workstream Lead.Through working on this study, long-standing members often help newer participants understand BIER's history and purpose, reinforcing the idea that the work is designed to benefit the broader beverage sector rather than any single organization.How does this work support BIER's broader mission and 2030 direction?The Benchmarking Study reflects BIER's longstanding commitment to advancing environmental sustainability through collaboration, scientific rigor, and practical implementation.By providing members with credible, comparable performance data and facilitating shared learning across companies, the workstream supports BIER's mission of helping beverage companies address shared environmental challenges collectively.The study also aligns with the goals by strengthening collective action, supporting industry-wide learning, and providing practical tools and resources that help members make informed decisions on water stewardship, climate action, and operational performance.Looking AheadAs environmental sustainability expectations continue to evolve, access to credible data, practical insights, and collaborative learning opportunities remains increasingly important.The Water, Energy, and Emissions Benchmarking Study demonstrates how BIER members work together to transform shared data into industry insight, helping support informed decision-making and measurable progress across the beverage sector.Stay tuned for future editions of the BIER Workstream Feature Series as we continue exploring the people, projects, and collaborative initiatives advancing environmental sustainability across the beverage industry.[1] Industry data referred in this article represents data contributed by participants of the BIER Benchmarking Study, which is not representative of the entire global beverage industry. The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) is a technical coalition of leading global beverage companies working together to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector.BIER is facilitated by Antea Group.Find more stories and multimedia from Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable at 3blmedia.com.Contact Info:Spokesperson: Beverage Industry Environmental RoundtableWebsite: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/beverage-industry-environmental-roundtable Email: info@3blmedia.comSOURCE: Beverage Industry Environmental RoundtableView the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

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