Hobart, Australia, August 26, 2021
Hop Products Australia have committed to a kinder, greener future in publishing their inaugural sustainability report.
As the largest hop grower in the country, Hop Products Australia (HPA) recognise the way they operate has direct consequences for people and the planet. HPA are proud to announce they became a signatory to the UN Global Compact in 2020, and have now published their inaugural sustainability report.
HPA are already integrating sustainability initiatives into their business, but more is being planned to build greater energy efficiency into their farming operations. They have developed a roadmap that considers several key areas guided by the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Social responsibility, environmental footprint, responsible sourcing, consumption and production now underpin their sustainability strategy.
In the 2017-2020 reporting cycle HPA quantified their greenhouse gas emissions, eliminated heavy metals and reduced solvent use in their labs, improved their anti-corruption and whistle-blower policies, and conducted an energy audit of their farms.
Reduced solvent use in their labs can be credited to the Near Infra-Red (NIR) analytical capability for hop chemistry developed by HPA and Sagitto. HPA’s Manager of Agronomic Services Simon Whittock says “reduced solvent use in our labs has improved environmental and workplace safety outcomes. HPA’s adoption of NIR analytical capability is a novel solution within the hop industry and typifies our commitment to developing sustainable business practices.”
HPA are currently researching several other projects that could improve their energy efficiency. A significant portion of their annual emissions and energy consumption are related to process heat. The energy audit of HPA’s farms explored the potential of kiln heat recovery and alternative fuel sources. Unfortunately, there are currently considerable risks associated with alternative fuel supply and retrofitting new technology to existing infrastructure is costly and unproven.
“HPA will continue to explore innovations that could mitigate energy use within existing infrastructure until there are safe and proven alternatives available” says Whittock.
This is just the beginning of HPA’s journey towards minimising their environmental footprint while simultaneously meeting the demands of their brewing customers. From now on, everything HPA think, say and do will come under scrutiny to ensure it fits with the kinder, greener future they are working towards. This is their new normal.
Download Sustainability Report (PDF)
About HPA
HPA is the largest hop grower in Australia, backed by a team of experts in plant breeding, farm operations, customer service and brewing support. Their farms have been growing hops for more than 150 years, but they’re focused on creating new aromas and flavours that will make even more tasty beers.
As regional representatives of the global BarthHaas group, HPA are able to share their Aussie hops with brewers around the world, and bring a huge range of international hops and innovative hop products to Aussie brewers.
