Beer producers are concerned about making beverages that do not generate so many greenhouse gases, but will consumers pay more?

Mostly, all of us enjoy drinking a cold beer on a hot day. What we do not know is that, like other products, beer production generates greenhouse gases and high levels of energy are used.

Leer en español: ¿Pagarías más por tomar cerveza sostenible?

For this reason, beer producers in the United States have been concerned with producing beers made in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. However, these processes would increase the price of beer and producers do not know if consumers are willing to pay more for this type of beverage.

The good news is that a study from the Indiana University shows that in fact beer consumers would pay more for a drink made in a sustainable way. The researchers found that on average people would pay $ 1.30 dollars more for a sustainable beer.

The study, entitled Willingness to pay for a sustainable beer, was conducted in habitual beer consumers over 21 years. According to the results, 59% of respondents said they were willing to pay more for beers made with sustainable practices. The research also found that those who are willing to pay more are people who usually practice actions for the common good such as volunteering and recycling.

Also read: These are the real environmental impacts of biofuels

Sustainable beer for the environment

The decision of the producers to have sustainable practices to elaborate these drinks is derived from the environmental impact in an industry that is exponentially growing and in which large amounts of energy are used. According to EurekAlert! , "the number of craft breweries grew by more than 200 percent between 2005 and 2015, and their production increased by more than 12 percent each year."

So implementing renewable energy could have a positive impact on the environment. This same portal assures that "the industry has a considerable potential to reduce the use of energy and mitigate its impact on climate change. Some breweries have already added solar panels, installed sewage treatment plants, insulated brewing vessels and recaptured steam from the brewing process".

What about you? Would you pay more for a sustainable beer? Let us know in the comments.

LatinAmerican Post | Marcela Peñaloza
Translated from “¿Pagarías más por tomar cerveza sostenible?”

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