Everything is Connected
Addressing the climate crisis is at the heart of our environmental activities. The key to this lies in minimizing our CO2 emissions. To achieve this, we aim to use all resources as environmentally consciously and sustainably as possible through a wide range of measures.
Because: Everything is connected to CO2 emissions, including the procurement and use of materials, raw materials, auxiliary, and operating materials.
We are committed to the challenge of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions to do our part against climate change. In all renovation measures, we place the utmost importance on using the best available technology. At the same time, we continuously strive to improve our environmental performance through various measures, thereby reducing our emissions.
Addressing the climate crisis is at the heart of our environmental activities. The key to this lies in minimizing our CO2 emissions. We achieve this through a wide range of measures:
- Energy Efficiency: Optimization of brewing processes and investment in energy-efficient technologies
- Renewable Energy: Use of solar energy and other renewable energy sources
- Transport and Logistics: Reduction of transport routes and use of environmentally friendly vehicles
- Packaging: Use of recyclable materials and reduction of packaging waste
- Waste Management: Improvement of recycling and waste prevention
- Water Management: Efficient use and reuse of water
- Compensation: Participation in projects to offset CO2 emissions
Since 1998, our strategy of "Avoid. Reduce. Compensate." has reduced our specific CO2 emissions by approximately 70%.
True to the motto "Avoid – Reduce – Compensate," we have been offsetting parts of our CO2 emissions through regional climate protection projects since 2017. To continue meeting our responsibility in the future, we aim to bind at least the amount of CO2 emissions generated by our brewery operations through our regional projects and measures by 2025.
Offsetting the Emissions of Our Wiesn Beer* at Oktoberfest Since 2019:
Since 2019, we have been offsetting the CO2 emissions generated by HB-serving festival operations at Oktoberfest. For this, we focus on regional measures such as moorland restoration or local humus-building projects.
*Wiesn beer: Production and logistics of Hofbräu Oktoberfest beer and Münchner Weisse at the Wiesn, and the emissions from the HB businesses represented at the Wiesn. Offsetting emissions according to Scope 1 & 2 (GHG-Protocol)
Measures to Offset Our Emissions:
2017 – Moorland Restoration
Hofbräu Munich and the Bavarian Nature Conservation Fund are restoring 2.6 hectares (or 26,000 m2, more than three football fields) of moorland in the municipality of Eggstätt. In addition to climate protection, moorlands contribute to species protection, landscape preservation, and flood protection.
2019 – Humus Building
The completely new concept in Germany of binding greenhouse gases through soil regeneration excellently combines soil, groundwater, and climate protection. In 2019, we supported projects for humus building and CO2 binding on Bavarian arable land for the first time. This measure binds an additional 100 tons of CO2 equivalents per year.
We aim to continuously improve the ecological footprint of the production and use of materials and raw materials, as well as auxiliary and operating materials. There are numerous possibilities and a wide range of measures we have already implemented. We strive to keep transport routes short, handle materials efficiently, and maintain a healthy relationship with our suppliers.
Our raw materials: hops and malt – preserving them for the environment
Hops from the Region
The green soul of our beers, the hops, are sourced from the Bavarian Hallertau, just 60 km away. This keeps transport routes short. For our fine hop aroma, we use only hop pellets. This saves volume in packaging and ensures consistently high quality.
Malt from Bavaria and Southern Germany
We meet our barley malt needs through long-term contracts with regional farmers and maltsters. These long-term contracts provide security for the producers and counteract speculation on the world market. We aim to source raw materials as locally as possible. We source part of our brewing barley from the Feldkirchen warehouse, just 14 km away, directly from our neighborhood. This aligns our brewing barley procurement with regional and sustainable practices.
Since 2007, we have been sourcing brewing wheat for our wheat beer specialties from water protection areas in Lower Franconia. Through this procurement, we annually protect 240 million liters of groundwater from nitrate pollution in the low-precipitation region of Lower Franconia and avoid the generation of 80 tons of CO2e. We maintain a sustainable contract that guarantees price security for both sides and counters world market speculation with raw materials.
Resource-efficient and sustainable use of water
We source the main ingredient of our beers, brewing water, as locally as possible: With two of our own deep wells, we extract this valuable resource. It dates back to the Ice Age when glaciers extended from the Alps to just north of Munich. It is untouched by humans and therefore completely free from modern environmental influences. Only with this water can we produce the finest Munich beer, which is a specialty with protected geographical indication.
Since this special water is of great value to us, we always keep a close eye on our water consumption. Compared to breweries of the same size, we use 4.5 liters of water per liter of beer, which is a good 15% less (Source: BVE 2023). With all our new technical acquisitions, we always strive to implement the most water-efficient solution, alongside those that save heat and electricity.
Auxiliary and Operating Materials
We strive to continuously optimize the consumption of auxiliary materials, chemicals, and cleaning agents. We have replaced the traditional filter aid "kieselguhr" because its production is very CO2-intensive. Additionally, we use new systems in cleaning processes to make the use of chemicals and cleaning agents more efficient. In 2024, we installed a new caustic soda mixing system for this purpose.
Paper Savings
In a long-term project, we aimed to reduce our paper consumption. Successfully, we have reduced consumption by approximately 400,000 sheets of paper per year and eliminated 2/3 of our office printers. The reduction in paper consumption has been further accelerated by digitalization. This not only saves paper but also folders, toner, and electricity. Additionally, it helps us avoid CO2e emissions.
When entering our brewery premises, whether for a brewery tour or as an employee, you will find a green area that does not resemble an industrial site at all. Passing by our insect hotel, you can sense that there is something more to discover here.
We actively take care of preserving and increasing biodiversity. With small measures like our trainee initiative "HB stands for Honey Bees" or the insect hotel, and larger measures like the green roof of our administrative building or the creation of an orchard meadow, we support the flora and fauna. Even though these measures might seem focused on caring for insects, our brewery premises also provide a comfortable habitat for well-established field hares.
HB stands for Honeybee
Together with a beekeeper, our trainees care for the diligent "ladies" as part of a sustainability project. Gradually, more bee colonies were added, and in 2019, the first queen bee born on the brewery grounds saw the light of day. Currently, we have a total of five bee colonies living with us.
Insect Hotel
To make another statement against the decline of insects, we have acquired a large insect hotel to accommodate wild bees. These valuable and important pollinators are often overlooked amidst the high attention given to the "domesticated" honeybee.
Green Roof
We have greened the gravel flat roofs of the administrative building. The resulting area provides habitats for birds, butterflies, beetles, and other insects. A large part of the green roof of the administrative building has been planted with a special seed mixture designed as a bee forage. This way, our biodiversity projects complement each other.
Environmental Protection
at All Levels
Discover our full range of environmental protection and sustainability measures.
