Climate & Resources

At our Bitburg site, we use certified green electricity from RenewablePlus and our own combined heat and power plants to generate energy. Our energy consumption is regularly monitored.

Our Environmental management

We need to be able to count on high-quality raw materials for our brewing processes. That is why protecting the environment and conserving resources are among the issues we systematically address as part of our environmental management program. One focus is on the efficient use of energy, such as combined heat and power technology. To this end, we regularly review our energy consumption and use this information to develop site-specific energy plans.

Reduction of CO₂emissions

At the Bitburger Braugruppe, our site-specific, direct CO₂emissions (Scope 1 and 2) resulting from the use of coal, heating oil, diesel, natural gas, and biogas, as well as from electricity consumption, have been cut by 66% (by 2025) across the entire brewery group compared to 2008. To offset our remaining emissions, we purchase a corresponding amount of CO₂ certificates each year from compensation projects, which focus on renewable energy generation. Here, we have opted for the Gold Standard certification. This certification only applies to climate protection projects that demonstrably reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, these must be projects that are implemented using revenue from CO₂ certificates; in other words, they must be additional and must not be projects that would have taken place anyway. These projects are ultimately reviewed and certified by independent auditors.

 

Combined heat and power technologies keyboard_arrow_down

We use two combined heat and power (CHP) plants that generate electricity and heat using the principle of combined heat and power (CHP). The advantage of combined heat and power (CHP) plants lies in their ability to simultaneously generate electricity and heat, thereby achieving a degree of efficiency of at least 80%. The electricity generated is used within the brewery, thereby reducing the need to purchase electricity from outside sources.

4.8% (2025) of our total electricity needs for our Bitburg-Nord and Bitburg-Süd sites is generated using our own solar power systems, which we have installed at these locations. The energy generated by these PV systems goes into our internal power grid.

In early 2012, the Bitburger Brauerei switched its purchased electricity to certified green power. Under the RenewablePlus direct marketing model currently used, the electricity supplied must be proven to be 100% derived from renewable energy sources. 

We have launched various projects to preserve and develop biomass. Working alongside the Bitburg forestry commission and Andreas Dick, a hop farmer from the Eifel region, these projects aim to reforest areas and plant flower meadows and orchards.