Lion has officially commissioned a Reverse Osmosis Water Recycling Plant at its Tooheys Brewery in Lidcombe, which will deliver water savings per year equivalent to 5.3 million kegs, or 108 Olympic sized swimming pools.
The three-year, $7.2m project will save an estimated 270 million litres of water each year, with the recycled water, which is very high quality, to be used for non-food surface cleaning and cooling purposes within the brewery – not in the beer.
Lion Group CEO, Sam Fischer, said: “While Lion is proud of our position as Australasia’s first large-scale carbon neutral brewer, we are constantly looking at what more we can do to reduce our impact on the environment and do the right thing for the long term.
“Water is one of the biggest inputs to brewing beer and following the success of the Reverse Osmosis Water Recycling Plant at our XXXX brewery in Brisbane, we thought it is only fair to create one for Tooheys drinkers.
“We have an ongoing commitment to sustainability and are focused on investing in practical measures that reduce water consumption, help decarbonise the brewing process and drive the circular economy to reduce waste.”
Sydney Water’s Head of Customer Contact, Dan Peacock added: “By implementing a unique way to recycle water, it allows Tooheys to save 270 million litres per year of water, and significantly reduces their water bill by approximately $700,000+ annually.
“Non-residential customers, like Toohey’s, use about 22 per cent of all drinking water in Sydney. So, this project is a pivotal, sustainable step forward, demonstrating how much water can be saved through a committed water conservation program. By embracing practices like recycling water, they are demonstrating how large-scale businesses can make a substantial difference in reducing water waste and protecting our resources.
“This partnership is just one an example of how businesses can work with Sydney Water to meet environmental goals and conserve water. Every drop of water is precious, especially as we face ongoing challenges in water resilience, so we are really pleased to have supported this innovative project.”
The Tooheys Lidcombe Reverse Osmosis Water Recycling Plant is the second from Tooheys owner, Lion, which commissioned the Reverse Osmosis Water Recycling Plant at its XXXX Brewery in Brisbane in 2009, which has resulted in an average of 282 million litres of water saved per year.