Five Regional Distilleries Leading on Impact Reporting
Introduction to Impact Reporting
Impact reporting is a powerful way a company can better understand and communicate the effects that their business has on people and the planet. Assessing and sharing a carbon footprint or other sustainability information can also underscore a company’s values and engage customers, the community, and other stakeholders. Whether it’s a stand-alone impact report (also known as a sustainability or Corporate Social Responsibility/CSR report), integrated with a financial report, or a webpage, impact reporting shows which companies are not only talking the talk, but walking the walk.
What Makes for Great Impact, Sustainability, or CSR Reporting
If you’re afraid that reporting will lead to a lot more work for you and your team, surprise! More pages and narratives aren’t necessarily better, and you want to avoid overwhelming your audience with information. Great impact reporting focuses on priorities for the company’s industry and stakeholders. For alcohol producers, industry priorities are water management, energy management, responsible drinking and marketing, packaging, and ingredients supply chain/sourcing, according to the SASB standard. Unique priorities of a company’s community and other stakeholders should also guide where to focus efforts.
In ClimateHound’s opinion, the best impact reporting balances quantitative data (like waste diverted from landfills) and qualitative descriptions (such as summaries of packaging choices and other initiatives). It’s important to update reports at least annually to maintain stakeholder trust and usefulness of the information. Impact reporting also stands out when understanding and managing impact is woven into the company’s business model and goals.
Five Regional Distilleries Leading on Impact Reporting
3BR Distillery (New Jersey)
3BR walks the talk by providing specific details of their inspiring initiatives—for sustainable/local sourcing, reducing water and waste, and more—with a dedicated webpage. The link to their ClimateHound sustainability page also discloses their most recent carbon footprint and carbon neutrality offset details.
Montanya (Colorado)
With their stand-alone report packed full of underlying details, such as those related to their B Corp and Carbon Neutral certifications, Montanya provides inspiration and guidance to others in the industry. Their data-driven sustainability report stands out for its level of transparency and commitment.
Caledonia Spirits (Vermont)
Caledonia clearly illustrates their various sustainability initiatives and improvement over time, using specific numbers when available and showing how to get started reporting without getting bogged down in the details.
Westland Whiskey (Washington)
Through a stand-alone report as well as blog posts narrowing in on aspects of their sustainability strategy such as B Corp certification and sustainable/local sourcing, Westland sheds light on their impact as well as the people and processes behind the scenes. Transparent metrics related to packaging, energy, water, and carbon emissions are particularly industry-leading.
Marble (Colorado)
An helpful infographic and quantified impacts demonstrate how Marble has holistically integrated sustainability into their processes. Marble shares insights into their goals, performance, and initiatives on energy, water, and green technology, with comparisons to industry standards.
The More Producers Reporting Impact, the Better, and ClimateHound is Here to Help
Of course, these are only five examples of the great impact reporting being done by small-to- mid-size beverage producers as well as large companies. Here at ClimateHound, we love seeing more beverage producers reporting impact, and the data and insights our platform provides can make it easy. Impact reporting doesn't need to take a significant amount of your precious time or a dedicated, in-house sustainability specialist or marketing professional.
Through the process of completing a carbon footprint with ClimateHound, your company can easily collect priority environmental data and automatically become equipped with a short sustainability story, quantitative impact data, and other resources to share with your stakeholders. Gain a better understanding of your impact and share your story today!