The Role of Technical Assistance and Recognition in Promoting Pollution Prevention and Sustainability Among Craft Breweries: Lessons from Massachusetts

This article examines the impact of a new technical assistance (TA) and recognition program (BetterBev) on Massachusetts craft breweries’ adoption of pollution prevention/sustainability practices. The authors explore the following questions: How do technical assistance and recognition address the key barriers and promote P2/sustainability adoption? What are the outcomes and impacts of the implemented P2 practices? What specific P2/sustainability practices are most likely and least likely to be adopted by craft breweries receiving TA, and why? This study is based on 29 craft breweries in Massachusetts, U.S. Data was collected between November 2022 and March 2025 and included site visits; interviews with owners, founders, and head brewers; online research; and assessments of eight impact categories. This study found that providing TA was highly effective in encouraging participants to adopt new P2/sustainability practices (the 29 participants adopted 60 new P2/sustainability practices over two years). The TA helped overcome the main sustainability barriers for craft breweries—the lack of resources, time, and knowledge about available opportunities. MA breweries adopted most of their P2 practices in energy and CO2 reduction, and the least in water and wastewater reduction. This study confirmed the importance of environmental information as a powerful driver for adopting P2/sustainability actions. Future initiatives should consider a train-the-trainer approach for scaling up P2/sustainability practices, where early adopters share their knowledge and experience with peers.