Att utnyttja cirkuläritet : Livscykeleffekter av cirkulära bryggeriinnovationer i Sverige

The brewing industry faces increasing pressure to reduce its environmental footprint, and Circular Economy (CE) strategies offer a promising pathway to achieve this. This study evaluates the environmental effectiveness of selected CE strategies within the Swedish brewing sector using a consequential Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. Circular initiatives were identified through grey literature and academic sources, then categorised using the 10R circularity framework and clustered by material or energy flow. A base scenario representing an average Swedish brewery was modelled, alongside multiple CE scenarios including: replacing malt with surplus bread, reducing and rethinking beer packaging, revalorising Brewers’ Spent Grain (BSG), recovering CO2 from fermentation, and treating wastewater with anaerobic digestion. Environmental impacts were assessed using five categories: global warming potential, freshwater ecotoxicity, fossil fuel depletion, land use, and water use. The results show that strategies targeting raw material inputs and packaging, particularly the replacement of malt and reduction of single-use glass bottles, lead to the most significant environmental benefits. Conversely, some initiatives, such as repurposing BSG for human consumption, increased impacts due to burden shifting—highlighting the systemic complexity of circular interventions. Recovery of wastewater through biogas production and nutrient reuse also demonstrated substantial environmental gains. The findings emphasise that while circular strategies can reduce environmental burdens, their effectiveness is context-dependent and may introduce trade-offs. Large breweries appear better positioned to implement multiple CE strategies due to scale advantages. The study concludes that careful consideration of system boundaries, avoided burdens, and interdependencies is essential for designing effective and scalable circular solutions in the brewing sector.