For over 25 years, we at Stone Brewing have made thoughtful choices to minimize the impact our business has on the planet and environment.
Our commitment to continual improvement and environmental responsibility is a value that drives everything we do.
- Our Richmond, VA brewery is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certified
- Two of Stone’s CA locations use solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We also use battery shaving (energy stored in batteries for use during peak hours) to further minimize impact to supply grids and to reduce our carbon footprint.
- Our Escondido rooftop PV panels alone prevent approximately 1.5M pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere annually. Upon installation in 2008, this system was among the largest 10% of PV installations in California.
- Stone participates in utility provider programs that directly reduce demand on supply grids via 100% renewable energy and other sustainable resources.
- In 2006, Stone was the first brewery in Southern California to offer dedicated parking spaces for electric vehicles with complimentary charging stations.
- Escondido’s recycling efforts prevents an average of 1,000 lbs. of cardboard and 130 lbs. of plastic wrap from entering landfills each day.
- Approximately 140,000 lbs/day of spent grain from the brewing process is repurposed as mulch in our gardens and as animal feed by local farmers. Stone was among the first craft breweries to repurpose hops, spent grain and yeast for cattle, goat and chicken feed. It’s also used to produce locally-made soaps and dog biscuits!
- In Richmond, spent filter bed material is used as compost by a local landscaping company.
- Single-use plastic water bottles have been banned in the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens since it opened in 2006.
- Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Escondido achieved SITES certification for its innovative sustainable design. This includes stormwater recapture as a design feature, drought-tolerant landscaping, use of salvaged and reused materials in construction and a commitment to sustainable and organic maintenance.
- Stone’s Escondido gardens are maintained using organic practices and irrigated from the brewery’s reclaimed water system.
- RVA Goats, a SWaM-certified (Small, Women-owned, and Minority-owned) business, provides grazing goats for ecological vegetation management at our Richmond brewery.
- Stone has adopted a conservation landscaping policy that’s low impact and focused on native habitat restoration
- Low flow water saving devices are in use in lavatories, common, and public spaces.
- In Escondido, we maximize water efficiency in our brewery with a state-of-the-art water reclamation facility on site. In 2020, we repurposed 17M gallons of water, the equivalent of 500 homes’ annual usage in our city.
- In partnership with the local wastewater authority of Escondido, Stone’s ultra-high strength brewing byproduct is used by the water treatment plant, ultimately generating electricity. Stone’s contribution can offset up to 100% of the plant’s energy usage on some days.
- In partnership with the local wastewater authority in Richmond, VA, Stone’s brewing byproduct plays an important role in the health of Richmond’s waterways. More than 1M gallons per year of ultra-high strength brewing byproduct from Stone is sent to the local wastewater treatment plant as a methanol offset. The treatment plant uses this to fight nitrification in the publicly owned treatment works. That water ultimately flows to waterways like the James River and on to the Chesapeake Bay watershed – a federally protected and threatened natural resource.
- Stone works only with hop vendors who have sustainability as a component of their best practices. Many of the farms we source from are certified through these vendor programs as well as with industry certifications like Global G.A.P.
- Stone is a member of: Hop Growers of America, Hop Research Council, Hop Quality Group, and the Brewers Association Supply Chain Subcommittee, all of which have a pillar of focus on sustainability.
