Original subtitles

[narrator] On Tomorrow's World Today,

we explore the cutting edge advances

that are shaping four different worlds.

The world of inspiration,

where the wonders of the natural world amaze and inspire us.

The world of creation, where ideas come to life from traditional arts.

The world of innovation, where ideas and inventions move us all forward.

The world of production,

where innovations are mass produced to improve our lives.

From Inventionland world headquarters,

here's your host, George Davison.

Hi, everybody. I'm George Davison.

In 1854, my great-grandfather

who's right here in this picture,

founded the Davison Sand and Gravel Company.

And he started it all when he was just 14 years old.

And over the course of a 125 years,

it became the largest operation of its type in western Pennsylvania.

For companies to withstand the test of time,

no matter what they're producing

they have to think about sustainability

when it comes to creating their final product.

So, let's say you were making a beverage.

You'd be thinking about the location of your water source,

because it's gonna have a direct impact

on what it's gonna cost you to make your product.

If you have a secondary ingredient such as barley

that you're gonna add to that beverage of yours

you're gonna be thinking about how to cost-effectively transport that barley

into your beverage operations.

Today, companies are also considering

how to make their beverages as sustainable as possible

without sacrificing their taste, right?

Customers are demanding good environmental practices

from the companies they're buying their products from.

So, I'm going to be sending Greg to the world of production

to explore how one beverage company

is using smart business practices

and state-of-the-art technology

to make the beverages that we've all come to know and love.

Cheers.

[Greg] I am at the Molson Coors Beverage Company in Golden, Colorado.

Home of the first Coors brewery that opened 150 years ago.

I'm gonna meet with Rachel Schneider.

She is the, uh, vice president of sustainability

and environmental health and safety.

We're gonna discuss Molson Coors' ongoing efforts

to reduce their environmental impact

and promote sustainable practices throughout their entire operation.

-Hi, Rachel. -[Rachel] Hey, Greg. How are ya?

Great. Nice to meet you.

Rachel, one of the most impressive things about the Coors family

is that they've been improving and innovating for five generations.

And what a lot of people may not realize,

even though it wasn't called sustainability back then,

they've been implementing these kinds of practices since the 1950s.

They sure did. So, the aluminum cans started in the late 1950s

as well as one of the first recycling programs in the United States.

A lot of people don't know that.

Um, and you see that spirit of innovation continuing today

with our big G150 project and all the water and energy efficiencies

we're gonna put together with that.

And speaking of recycling, I'm really proud that

99.6% of our packaging today is recyclable.

Well, I can't wait to learn more about that.

So, what else do you have to show me?

Well, let's go up to Bill's and I'll show you a whole lot more.

Rachel, last I said that sustainability practices began with Coors back in the 1950s.

What can you tell me about those early initiatives?

So, in the late 1950s Bill Coors pioneered the two-piece aluminum can.

Took years of research, millions of dollars of investment,

a lot of trial and error.

Uh, but within 12 years aluminum can had replaced the steel can.

And part of that was because Bill Coors actually encouraged

the rest of the industry to adopt the can

rather than keeping it proprietary, uh, to Coors.

I think he... he really recognized the benefits,

not only of less material and the opportunity for more recycling,

uh, but also, for us, better tasting colder beer.

Excellent. Well, tell me about that... that first Cash for Cans program.

So, in addition to inventing the can

they pioneered a recycling program.

One cent per can.

You brought 'em back. Uh, it was distributor led

and you could get one cent per can.

So, you think about our recycling programs now,

that was really the start of it in the United States.

And he really faced a little bit of resistance.

Um, there were folks that didn't want industry kinda playing in the space

and really thought it should be up to consumers.

Um, but it was... it was pretty successful.

Well, I guess, back then at a penny a can a kid could do pretty well.

They could do very well, indeed.

All right, well, I know that as things have, uh, come along,

sustainability means more than just recycling now,

it also means resource management.

What can you tell me about that?

As a beer manufacturer it all starts with barley

and that means it all starts in brewing.

So, let's head over to brewing and we'll talk about it there.

[Greg] You lead the way.

Barley is obviously a vitally important part of the brewing process.

It's also a very important part of you resource management program

which I imagine means partnering with farmers.

It does. So, we partner with farmers to adapt

better and more sustainable agricultural practices.

In fact, a 100% of our barley farmers

have formally recognized those standards.

And since 2018, we've paid out more than $6 billion in incentives

to farmers for adopting more sustainable practices.

That's 2018 but this all started a long time ago.

It did. So, all the way back in 1946

and we call it the Better Barley, Better Beer program.

It was a way to partner with farmers to ensure that we had a reliable source

of good quality, high yield barley

and give them stability in their livelihoods as well.

In addition to that we have a whole team

research and development and agronomists

who work with our farmers on growing practices,

water use manage, tillage, all of those types of things.

Um, and in addition they also help work on cultivars of barley

that could be adapted to the varying conditions across the Mountain West.

Great. Well, that means whenever you're having a beer at home

you can be assured that sustainable practices

have been a part of the process from beginning to end.

Absolutely. And to continue that story

Peter Coors is waiting for you over by the kettles.

-[Greg] Hi, Peter. -[Peter] Hey, Greg. Welcome to Golden.

[Greg] Thank you very much. This room is so impressive.

Now, these kettles look like they have been here for a while

-but they're really state-of-the-art. -They are.

We've kept the copper domes because they're beautiful,

but we replaced the bottom of the kettle

because they just wear out over the years.

So, we replaced those with stainless steel

'cause it's a more efficient way to heat our mash.

So, you talked to Rachel about the barley.

We take that barley and we cook it here in this room

before we send it off to fermentation

where we make it into some of the greatest beer in the world.

Great. Well, what's the next step?

We're off to filtration.

Peter, I know that Molson Coors is really committed

to reducing energy consumption.

How does cold filtration help with that?

So, for Coors Light, we chill the beer down to near freezing temperatures

and filter out anything that could do harm to that beer.

By doing that we reduce the need for external heating sources

and make a very energy efficient beer.

Okay, well, how much energy are we talking about?

For a packaging line that does 11 million cases a year,

if it switches over to cold filtration

it'll save about 90 million megajoules.

To put that in perspective,

the average American home uses 39,000 megajoules a year.

So, that's enough energy to power 2,300 American homes.

Wow, and what are some of the other benefits to cold filtration?

By keeping our beer cold, we protect the flavor and the aroma of the product.

So, it's a great example of Molson Coors

delivering a very high quality product

in a very energy efficient way.

Excellent. Well, I know that Rachel's outside right now,

she's at the creek, she's gonna teach me more

about how Coors is reducing their environmental impacts.

All right, let's go.

[Greg] Rachel, everybody's pretty familiar with the old adage,

-reduce, reuse, recycle... -Mmm-hmm.

...and that's a pretty easy thing to visualize when it comes to materials.

A little less so whenever it comes to water.

But water usage, water management, water conservation

very much on everybody's mind these days.

And it's really no different for us.

So, we try to apply a continuous improvement mindset

in improving the efficiency of all our operations

and that naturally extends to energy and water use as well

so to reduce the consumption and the intensity of our use of those resources.

Well, what are some of the things that Molson Coors is doing to that end?

So, we use technologies to reduce our water consumption

as well as optimize our water treatment processes.

And then we have some initiatives in a few of our breweries

to actually reclaim or reuse and recycle the water that we use.

This allows us to not only make our beer more efficiently

but also to reduce our environmental impact.

Right, and reducing your environmental impact is very important

and it does not stop at your brewery door.

It does not. We also partner with local organizations

here in Colorado, Texas and other locations

to really look at water conservation

and water restoration at a watershed level

and that includes supporting land management practices and education

that is gonna help that watershed be healthier.

Excellent. Well, I know that there is some reduce, reuse, recycle initiatives

going on on the production line, too and I'd really love to see that.

Yeah, we've got some really great things going on at packaging,

so, let's go take a look.

What seems to be from what I've seen so far

that the spirit of innovation has been a part

of the Coors legacy from the very beginning.

I mean, every part of the process has been looked at

with an eye towards improvement or increased sustainability

from the brewing right down to the packaging.

Absolutely. And I'm really proud to tell you

that 99.6% of our packaging today is recyclable,

including all of these aluminum cans you see here

as well as all of our glass bottles.

Another thing that most people don't realize is that

less than four and a half percent of our packaging is plastic.

It's mostly aluminum and glass.

[Greg] Well, how are you able to do that?

Got a couple initiatives going on to eliminate plastics.

We're phasing out PET bottles in the US and Canada.

And the number two, which is a very extensive project,

we are replacing a whole bunch of equipment

across our US and Canadian breweries

to be able to get rid of those single-use plastic rings

that you see on four-packs and six-packs.

So, what will happen, is that it'll actually get wrapped

in a fiberboard carton wrap.

We think that'll save about one and a half million or more pounds of plastic every year.

That is a big break from the way things have been done in the past.

Now, is that gonna impact quality at all?

No, absolutely not.

So, as you can imagine

before we implement something that massive

that it's gonna cost us about $85 million.

We test it pretty thoroughly.

So, we did a lot of work to make sure that the packaging was really durable,

that it wouldn't, you know, break open while you were carrying it.

Uh, that it's stackable.

-Mmm-hmm. -That's pretty important for our customers

when you go into the store to see it.

And that the structure will actually maintain over time

including all the way to your house.

All of that is really amazing and this has been great to see

but, now, I understand Peter has something really big to show me

and I'm very excited to see that, so, I'm gonna go catch up with him.

Okay, let's go to fermentation.

Peter, explain fermentation.

It's the process of converting sugar into alcohol.

And we generate a lot of CO2 that we collect and reuse here on-site.

We've been using these box fermenters for over 60 years now.

But enough about the past.

Let's go upstairs on the roof,

-take a look around and see what the future holds. -Let's go.

-Wow, so this is the future. -[Peter] It is.

In 2020, we broke ground on a multi-year

revitalization of the Golden brewery.

In 2023, Coors brewing company

is celebrating a 150 years of brewing legacy.

So, in honor of that we've named this project, G150.

All right, well, what are the benefits of G150?

[Peter] There are so many.

We're gonna save millions of gallons of water,

we're gonna save energy,

and we're gonna reduce our greenhouse gases.

We can't wait to get our first brews to the new seller

because I think the performance is gonna be even better than expected.

And as you know, Rachel expects a lot.

I know. I do understand that.

One other thing that I understand is,

from the very beginning when you broke ground

sustainability was in mind.

It was. There were some small buildings that sat on this site.

We tore them down. We either recycled or reused 98% of that material.

That's excellent. Well, I wanna find out more about this

but it's getting kinda hot up here

so why don't we head down to your office,

-and we can talk more. -[Peter] Sounds good.

[Rachel] The next 150 years and hopefully beyond for this company

which is what sustainability is actually about.

How do you invest and evolve yourself for the long haul.

I think we're gonna see continued evolution

of our practices in agriculture.

I think we'll see more efficiencies

driven in the actual manufacturing and brewing process itself.

An evolution of recycling

and materials infrastructure in the United States and elsewhere

and including how we use packaging

and what materials we use in that packaging.

So, that our consumers can continue to celebrate life's moments

with a really great, cold Coors Light.

[Greg] Well, Peter, tell me

what does it feel like to be spearheading such an iconic project?

It's truly an honor.

My uncle Bill built the brewery we know of today, 60 years ago.

And it's my honor to be able to keep that legacy going

and put my fingerprint on this iconic location.

What are some of the things that you're hoping to accomplish with G150?

It's really about making this brewery more efficient.

So, we're putting in new cooling systems which will save energy.

We're putting in new filtration systems that will save beer.

And we're putting in new cleaning systems that will save water.

So, overall, we're gonna make our beer that much more efficiently

so that our consumers can enjoy our high quality Coors Light

in a most responsible way possible.

Peter, a lot of companies are focused on reducing their carbon footprint

but carbon capture's been a part of your standard practice for quite a while.

G150, however, is gonna really raise the efficiency on that.

[Peter] Our company goal is to reduce emissions

from direct operations by 50% by 2025.

And that's based on a 2016 baseline.

We're really setting us up for the next generations to come

to make great, high quality beer.

So, you're looking ahead at the next 150 years.

We are. You know, I stand on the shoulders of giants

and my hope is that some day my kids and grandkids can do what I've done.

That's awesome. Well, we've gotten a bird's eye view of G150

but now I wanna see the inside of it.

Let's go grab some hard hats

and meet up with Rachel inside the G150 cellar.

[Greg] Peter, back at your office we talked about carbon capture

and, uh, reducing your carbon footprint

and the investment that you're making into those technologies,

we're looking at that investment.

We are. This is the G150 construction site in action.

-But wait till you see what's around the corner. -All right.

Wow. Peter, this is amazing.

These are enormous. How many are there?

[Peter] They're not all in, yet. But there'll be 62 fermenters

in total, when we're finished.

-Hey, Rachel. -Hi, guys.

[Greg] Hey, Rachel.

Peter, tell me a little bit more about how these tanks work.

These vertical fermenters are designed

so that when we drain out the beer,

every drop goes over to packaging

and can be enjoyed by our consumers.

[Greg] Molson Coors really has taken sustainable practices

and made it the heart of what you do.

You have a whole holistic approach that involves,

uh, water management, energy efficiency, waste reduction,

even responsible sourcing.

Well, when you have a legacy as long as we do

it's pretty natural to take the long view.

Uh, we've got a really proud history, we've accomplished a lot,

we know that there's more work to do.

And I'm just excited that we're investing in the Golden brewery

to make it the most efficient brewery in the network.

We're always looking for innovative ways

to make our process more efficient and reduce waste,

carrying on the legacy of my family

to make great beer for today and great beer for tomorrow.

Brewing beer for tomorrow's world.

Well, this has been a great day. What else do you have to show me?

Let's go up to Bill's pub, have a Coors Light and talk about what we've seen.

All right.

[Peter] When my boss came to me and asked if I'd be willing to serve

as the leader of this project,

my first response was, "I get to rebuild this brewery

like nobody since Uncle Bill?"

He is a giant in the beer business.

When I think about the five generations,

each generation has been able to put their fingerprint on this brewery

and this is gonna be my fingerprint on Coors

for now and for generations to come.

[George] So, Mary, I hear there's a big story behind this Bill's bar.

Yeah, I think that Peter will tell you about that when he gets here.

-I was curious about all those beers behind you-- -[Greg] George, you made it.

-Hey, Greg. -[Greg] It's good to see you.

George, let me introduce you to Rachel Schneider.

-Hi. -Hi, Rachel.

-Peter Coors. -Hey, Peter.

George Davison.

-Nice to meet you. -[George] And to meet you.

You know, on Tomorrow's World we wanna know the future of things,

so, can you tell me about the future of Coors?

Well, the future still starts with barley

'cause that's what we need to make our great beer.

So, we always wanna keep our mind on growing practices

and the cultivars for barley.

So, we do a lot of work to make sure that

we have barley that's gonna be great for the change

in growing conditions of the Mountain West.

So, that's kind of the front-end.

-On the back-end, let's talk about packaging. -Okay.

Got some great examples of some innovations we've implemented recently.

So, by the end of 2025

you aren't gonna see a six-pack in a plastic ring anymore.

It's gonna be in these nice fiber wraps.

This is gonna replace those old plastic rings

-that go around hold the six-pack? -[Rachel] Yeah.

-That's going away? -[Rachel] Yup.

Uh, all of our products you won't see it on there by 2025.

That's wonderful.

Well, what other initiatives do we have going on?

Well, George, we just came from what they're calling G150

and I mean, you know what a technology geek I am but let me tell you

what's going on in this new brewing process,

innovative, sustainable, amazing

and Peter can tell you more about it than I can.

Yeah, we call it G150 'cause this is our 150th year of making beer

here in Golden.

So, we're remodeling the brewery,

bringing it up to the 21st century

so we can save water, save energy and reduce our emissions.

-[George softly] Nice. -We're not only investing here in Golden,

but we're investing across our supply chain

to make our beer sustainable as possible.

But before I tell you more, Mary, can I have four Coors Lights?

So, consumers are looking for brands that support their values.

Sustainability is part of our family legacy.

And is a priority for our company for years to come.

I've heard that your family has a history of

sustainable practices that go way back.

-Is that right. -[Peter] It does.

[Rachel] Peter's uncle Bill...

-[George] Mmm-hmm. -...uh, Bill Coors helped

not only pioneered the two-piece aluminum can

but also, introduced the first recycling program

for cans in the United States, so,

that was Cash for Cans, that's what you see on that little calendar there.

And you could bring back your cans for a penny each.

And that's all the way back, when?

[Rachel] Started in the late 1950s and as you can see, extended into the '70s.

[George] That's fabulous.

So our corporate motto is "Bringing people together

to enjoy all of life's moments."

So, I think we should have a Coors Light and keep chatting.

-[George] That's a great idea, Peter. -[Greg] Thank you.

All right. So, here's to the next 150 years and beyond.

-[glasses clinking] -[all] Cheers.