An Overview of the Alcoholic Beverages Market
There are a wide range of alcoholic beverages produced throughout the world, but they are broadly classified as either beer, wine, or spirits.
The alcoholic beverage industry reached $515.2 billion in 2019. Despite the economic slowdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7% from 2021 and reach $647.7 billion in 2023.
Beer is leading the market for alcoholic beverages and due to high consumption worldwide is expected to maintain its position during the forecast period.
Key players in the alcoholic beverages market include Diageo, Bacardi, Constellation Brands, Beam-Suntory, E and J Gallo and Brown Forman. Most of these companies are HPS customers and are extensive users of hygienic (sanitary) pigging systems. If you’ve just stumbled upon this article and are unsure what pigging is, here’s an in-depth overview of pigging systems and how they work.
This blog article looks at the alcoholic beverages industry and explores how pigging systems for beverage companies in particular are helping manufacturers meet their sustainability goals and reduce their carbon footprint.
What’s Fuelling the Growth of the Alcoholic Beverages Market
So, what’s driving the demand for alcoholic beverages?
The growth of the market is largely attributed to the increase in demand from the global young-adult demographic combined with high disposable income. In addition, consumer demand for premium alcoholic beverage products is also accelerating the growth of the market.
This is being led by millennials and younger consumers who are demanding innovative and higher-end products.
From vodka, gin, rum, and whisky to brandy, beer, wine, and cider, innovations and product launches in the alcoholic beverages market are also fuelling growth in the sector.
So, in this fast-moving and highly competitive market, how important is sustainability?
Increasing Importance of Sustainability
In recent years, sustainability has become more important for all companies, across all industries, including the alcoholic beverages industry.
Sustainability is concerned with the efficient and sustainable use of natural resources, such as energy, materials, fuels, land, water etc, so they are available for future generations tomorrow. Environmental sustainability is often an integral part of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
It is often associated with minimising greenhouse gas emissions, reducing waste of energy, water, food, and other resources, reusing and recycling, improving efficiencies and so on.
Sustainability Extremely Important to Consumers
Despite a vast majority of consumers throughout the world dealing with unprecedented economic hardships over the past few months, sustainability hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down in importance. In fact, it’s even grown in importance, according to a recent survey from Genomatica.
With consumers placing a significantly higher priority on sustainability in alcoholic beverage production, it is more important than ever that manufacturers ensure every aspect of their operations are as sustainable as possible.
As such, many alcoholic beverage manufacturers are embracing sustainability initiatives that make a positive contribution to society and the planet.
Environmental Sustainability Makes Good Business Sense
From reducing waste in their manufacturing plants and eliminating plastic packaging to reducing their water usage and increasing energy efficiency, manufacturers are making great strides to reduce their environmental impact.
Not only are these sustainable initiatives the responsible thing to do, but they make good business sense. That’s because sustainability in the alcoholic beverages industry often translates into savings, and seriously improves profitability and the bottom line.
For example, by focusing on minimising waste in their operations, manufacturers can benefit from reduced waste treatment and disposal costs and the environmental impacts associated with waste disposal and consumption of resources. In addition, focusing on waste can also help manufacturers address increasing raw material costs and can improve brand reputation, customer loyalty, and employee satisfaction.
So, not only do sustainability initiatives in the alcoholic beverages industry such as waste reduction improve environmental performance, but they also help manufacturers gain a competitive edge.
Green, Sustainable Technologies such as Pigging in Wide Use
Alcoholic beverage manufacturers are reducing their carbon footprint by investing in sustainable and green technologies, that not only help the planet but deliver high return on investment (ROI).
A green technology that is widely being adopted by alcoholic beverage manufacturers is hygienic product recovery (pigging) technology.
Pigging is an extremely effective way to reduce waste, save water, lower energy usage, and improve the sustainability of operations.
Pigging systems offer a wide range of benefits and deliver remarkable ROI and fast payback for alcoholic beverage manufacturers. In most cases, payback is between 6 to 12 months. Sometimes even less.
Reducing Waste in the Alcoholic Beverages Industry
Pigging works by sending a specialist projectile (the ‘pig’) through the pipeline. Powered by compressed air, CO2, nitrogen, water, or even the next product being pumped, the hygienic (sanitary) pig recovers substantial amounts of product residue from the pipe, and safely transfer it to its destination tank or onto the next stage of the process.
The recovered product is in perfectly good condition and would otherwise be flushed as waste as part of the cleaning and changeover process. In this way, pigging is a quick and easy way to substantially cut wastage of useable alcoholic beverage products.
In addition, pigging systems can also save waste by preventing air contacting the product and avoiding dissolved oxygen. A specialist design of pigging system, which uses two pigs, is often used in these situations where air contact could damage the beverage, for example in wine production.
Environmental Benefits of HPS Pigging Systems
HPS pigging systems typically recover up to 99.5% of product from full pipelines. In this way, the yield increases from pigging are major.
Also, pigging systems by HPS are proven to cut waste, save water, reduce energy consumption, lower the use of cleaning fluids and other chemicals. They also help lower the costs and resources used in disposal and transportation. Therefore, pigging systems have a positive environmental impact.
So, for companies that process alcoholic beverages, pigging is a sustainable strategy that can be used to improve environmental performance, reduce carbon footprint, improve product quality and production efficiency, and massively improve your green credentials.
Take a look at our Pipeline Pigging Case Studies >>
Savings from a Pigging Solution
By reclaiming valuable product from pipelines and significantly cutting waste and disposal costs, HPS custom pigging systems deliver significant savings for alcoholic beverages manufacturers.
For example, a wine manufacturer has decreased liquid waste by 1,500 litres per bottling run. In a year, this equates to 500,000 litres. Similarly, a beverage manufacturer is saving $31,500 US dollars’ worth of product per pigging run.
Therefore, not only does pigging systems deliver green and sustainable benefits, but they seriously improve profitability and the bottom line.
Further Information
For further information about transforming your alcoholic beverage processing operation by using HPS pipeline pigging products and equipment then please contact HPS.