Over 50 brewery and winery businesses, environmental consultants, university researchers, local and state government representatives travelled to CBCo last Friday for a unique Innovation Challenge.
This event was designed to allow stakeholders to connect and collaborate on wastewater challenges that are impacting southwest wineries and the rapidly growing craft brewery sector.
Rocky Ridge Brewing Co’s Mel Holland, who is also the Sustainability Working Party Chair for South West Brewers Alliance, and Eloise Jarvis from Cape Mentelle both spoke about environmental sustainability and carbon neutrality as a high priority for beverage producers. This included mention that current practices and water regulations are challenging the industry’s smooth transition to a circular economy model, with recycled wastewater recycled for agricultural and potable use.
Attendees worked in small teams to unpack the problems, with themes emerging around education, end-to-end expertise and support roles; shared infrastructure and funding to support wastewater innovation; new regulatory and reclassification of regulatory definitions to align with site variability; and an appreciation of outcomes that are individualised.
The creative solutions that were generated were then pitched in front of the crowd to an expert panel.
These included wastewater treatment trial sites; novel cleaning products; an early intervention brewing playbook; a wastewater co-operative being established; smaller operators using a mobile treatment plant; shifting the focus from chemicals to an energy one; and a nutrient recommendation algorithm.
As the Margaret River Wine Association supports grape growers and wine producers to attain certification of their sustainable practices, it was great to collaborate with a number of different experts and the brewery industry to discuss potential opportunities for different size organisations to become more efficient in the reuse of wastewater.
Amanda Whiteland, Chief Executive Officer of The Margaret River Wine Association.
The Connect Innovation Challenge was delivered by Innovation Cluster, local consultants, in collaboration with the Shire of Augusta Margaret River. It was part of the Connect Sustainable Industries program which has support from the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Bendigo Bank Community Bank Busselton and Dunsborough, South West Brewers Alliance and Margaret River Wine Association.
