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GULPEN, Zuid-Limburg (May 05, 2021) – Following their free spirit and quest to become the most sustainable beer brand in the world, independent brewery Gulpener has teamed up with Water Footprint Implementation to gain deeper insight into their water use through a Water Footprint Assessment. In 2020 Gulpener, located in Gulpen, the southeastern part of The Netherlands, won the prestigious Koning Willem I Price for sustainable entrepreneurship in The Netherlands.

Water Footprint Implementation will provide Gulpener with a supply-chain analysis of the embedded water in four types of beer, namely ‘Pilsner’ ‘Ur-Pilsner’, ‘Ur-Hop IPA’ and ‘Korenwolf’. This work will add an extra chapter to their sustainability journey and pave the way for more efficient and sustainable water use.

Over the years, Gulpener has developed very strong ties with its surroundings. As early as 1996 they founded the farmer’s cooperation ‘Triligran’ to ensure a constant supply of quality local grains and, soon after, Gulpener started sourcing their hops from the first hops farmer in the Netherlands. The brewery’s local character makes it especially interesting for a Water Footprint Assessment, as the short supply chain allows for a thorough understanding of the water consumption through the entire production process.

Water Footprint Implementation kicked-off the project recently with a field trip to the Gulpener brewery and witnessed firsthand the innovations and efficient equipment already in use in their newly opened brewhouse. To acquire more knowledge about the growing process and management practices of the ingredient crops, the local farmers kindly took the WFI team on a tour of their farms.

Based on the field trip experience and collected data the Water Footprint Assessment is currently underway. The results, which we expect will provide Gulpener with new opportunities for taking their sustainability practices to an even higher level, will be presented in the coming month.