Grand Rapids Breweries Focused on Sustainability & Community

Craft breweries, especially in Grand Rapids, are leading a sustainability movement. Each brewery has its own way of tackling that issue. Here are four breweries (and one brewpub) influencing the way Grand Rapids breweries look at sustainability:

Vivant Brewery + Spirits & Broad Leaf Brewery + Spirits

Vivant Brewery + Spirits and Broad Leaf Brewery + Spirits have become shining examples of sustainability among brewers. Co-founders Kris and Jason Spaulding are taking great care to ensure that their operation will drive change in the community for years to come.

Vivant became the world’s first LEED-certified microbrewery in 2012, just two years after opening its doors. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. The brewery was built along those guidelines and incorporates sustainable practices in day-to-day operations – including using solar panels to generate electricity, working towards zero waste to landfill and striving for an annual reduction in carbon footprint. Vivant has also been recognized as a certified B Corporation since 2014. B Corps are businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. 

In 2021, the Spauldings formally committed their operation to a 50% greenhouse gas reduction and 25% energy intensity reduction within 10 years. They also signed on to the Department of Energy’s Better Climate Challenge and Better Plants Challenge.

The Spauldings are committed to sourcing locally and regionally as much as possible. They established goals for the operation of acquiring 50% of their food input and 25% of their beer input from Michigan, and sourcing 75% of all purchases from Michigan. Extending the local theme, the operation donates 1% of its sales to local charities.

Each year, the operation releases a Beer The Change® report highlighting its sustainability and community service initiatives, including its progress on diverting waste from landfills, increasing the use of renewable electricity and reducing their carbon footprint.

Mitten Brewing Co.

Mitten Brewing Co. co-owners, Chris Andrus and Max Trierweiler, in conjunction with their staff, work to support neighborhood schools and amplify the voices of their neighbors all year long.

Mitten Brewing has raised more than $350,000 for area nonprofits and organizations since opening in 2012. In 2017, the brewery launched its own foundation, The Mitten Brewing Foundation. Each month, the brewery partners with a different local nonprofit organization to raise funds and awareness.

In 2023, staff logged more than 400 volunteer hours and helped raise over $75,000 for the community. These funds were used for causes such as free meals for food-insecure locals; donations of holiday groceries, home supplies and gifts; support for the local transgender community; programming for Autism Support of Kent County; and improved accessibility at Richmond Park .

Archival Brewing

Archival Brewing prides itself on recreating historic-style microbrews. But married-couple owners Levi and Callee Knoll are just as firmly focused on the future and preserving the earth’s resources for generations to come.

Sustainable practices at Archival include composting food waste and paper products, sending spent grain to a local farm hobbyist, purchasing some food from another local farm and using energy-saving devices such as LED lighting, programmable smart thermostats and on-demand water heaters.

Archival encourages sustainable transportation by giving bike-riding customers $1 off their brews and has participated as an organization in local park clean-ups and native plantings around the region.

HopCat

Project BarFly establishments, including HopCat (which has locations in Downtown and Knapps Corner), diverts more than 90 percent of its waste from the landfill to compost and recycling.

In 2017, BarFly Ventures was recognized as the Sustainable Business of the Year by the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum, thanks to its waste elimination efforts and partnerships with sustainability nonprofits across the country. The company also works to create a more sustainable community in which everyone’s needs are met. Its 2018 Sustainability Report (the latest available), recounts that year’s accomplishments – including the donation of more than $85,000 to local nonprofits and charities in the areas of equality, conservation, water safety, housing solutions, health/wellness, animal welfare, community initiatives, food accessibility, kids’ engagement and veterans’ services. Since the companies restructuring in 2020, they are still committed to leaving the world better than they've found it. In 2022, BarFly donated more than $35,000 to local nonprofits and charities that have a commitment to sustainability education, conservation, water safety, food accessibility, housing solutions and public schools. 

BarFly is a founding member of multiple sustainable-focused organizations, including the U.S. Green Building Council’s Grand Rapids 2030 District and the Great Lakes Business Network.

Founders Brewing Co.

By far the largest brewery in Grand Rapids, Founders Brewing Co. is no slouch when it comes to its sustainability and charitable efforts. 

“At Founders, we have a strong commitment to give back to our hometown and all of the communities where we live and work,” says Lindsey Rodarmer, Director of Communications and PR for Founders. “What we love most about beer is how it brings people together – and it gets even better when we can support a great cause.”

Founders’ commitment to sustainability and community is spelled out on its Brewing Change webpage. The company partners with several environmental charities to improve water resources and agriculture across Michigan and throughout the U.S. – including Freshwater Future, dedicated to protecting the Great Lakes, and MSU (Michigan State University) Extension, which works to advance agriculture while protecting the environment. It also diverts its spent grain from landfills to be used as food for an array of farm animals and in Beer City Dog Biscuits, which are produced by local people with disabilities who want to develop skills for personal and professional growth. In 2024, Founders recycled or composted 13,122 tons of materials!

The company prioritizes community giving in the areas of the environment, social equity/access, arts & culture, and brewing industry education – and in 2024, it gave more than $224,000 of monetary and in-kind donations to nonprofit organizations advancing these causes. Founders also gives eligible full- and part-time employees eight 8 hours of volunteer time off each year.

Grand Rapids was once referred to as “America’s Greenest City” due to its sustainability efforts – and Grand Rapids breweries are doing their part to keep us moving forward as an environmentally conscious community.

Visit our Beer City, USA page to learn more about the local beer scene, find breweries near you and download the Beer City Brewsader® app – you’ll earn a FREE t-shirt by using the app to check in to eight breweries!