SUSTAINABILITY

Advancing in organic practices goes far beyond sustainable raw inputs and outputs. Rather, our enduring mission serves as a steadfast commitment to preserve local management, work within our communities, and respect the needs of our workforce. Every decision we make, no matter how small it may seem, strengthens our organic ethic and purpose.

With effort and intention, we accept with humility the power we are gifted to influence friends and neighbors to aim for a more eco-friendly lifestyle. There’s nothing more sustainable than ensuring everything we do benefits us all in the long run.

As we grow and our impact on the world becomes inevitably larger, we will continue to search for more ways to minimize, or completely eliminate, the footprints we leave behind. There is no greater mission than that (and to brew really good beer, of course). Below are some highlights of our efforts in sustainability and regenerative practices.

DOWNLOAD OUR 2022 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT

INITIATIVES

USDA CERTIFIED ORGANIC BEER

All beer brewed at Aslan Brewing Company is USDA Certified Organic. This means that (1) all of the ingredients used in the brewing process are certified organic, (2) the chemicals used in brewery cleaning have a low impact on the environment, and (3) we are fully transparent regarding details of our suppliers and the overall brewing process.

Making organic beer can be more expensive and difficult when it comes to sourcing ingredients but it’s something that is very important to us. Our ingredient suppliers go above and beyond to meet green standards that include but are not limited to biorational insecticide usage, soil and tissue analysis reports, organic seed verification, and the restriction of cross-contamination from nearby conventional farms or products. With these elevated agricultural standards in place, we are not only protecting the health of the crop and the raw ingredient with which we brew, but also the health of the farmers working in the fields, other non-target species, and the end consumer...YOU!

CERTIFIED B CORPORATION

Aslan Brewing Company became a Certified B Corporation in January 2016. In a nutshell, a B Corp inspires businesses to compete not only to be the best in the world, but to be the best for the world. Through a rigorous review and inspection process conducted by the B Lab, B Corps are required to meet high standards of social and environmental performance and ensure that these standards are comprehensive and transparent. It's like our USDA Organic certification but for the whole business, not just the beer. Unlike traditional corporations, B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions not only on their shareholders, but also on their stakeholders (e.g., workers, suppliers, community, consumers, and the environment).

For more information on B Corps and the B Lab, visit BCorporation.net.

SALMON SAFE INGREDIENTS

At Aslan, we try to brew at least one fully Salmon Safe beer per quarter. Salmon Safe ingredients reduce the impact on local watersheds so wild salmon can thrive. Using Salmon-Safe hops and malts builds new momentum for ecologically sustainable and climate-resilient farming practices in Northwest wild salmon watersheds like Yakima, the Snake River, and the Willamette Valley. With more than 90 percent of US hops sourced from these watersheds, choosing Salmon-Safe beer makes a direct contribution to restoring important waterways and native fish. Learn more about the Salmon Safe Certification here.

LOCAL AND ORGANIC FOOD

Our goal at Aslan is to incorporate local ingredients whenever possible, throughout our menu as well as our tap list. We work with Puget Sound Food Hub to easily purchase produce from a collective of Washington farmers. Some local food producers we source ingredients from are Hedlin Farms for organic wheat for beer, Twin Sisters Creamery for the blue cheese on our Bacon Smash Burger, Nerka Salmon for seasonal specials, and Claus Meats for organic chicken from Mary’s.

SUSTAINABLE CONNECTIONS

Sustainable Connections is a non-profit with the mission to advance a regenerative local economy that builds community, strengthens food systems, catalyzes climate solutions, and expands access to housing in NW Washington. Aslan Brewing Company has been a proud member of Sustainable Connections since our days as glorified home brewers. We looked to them when we needed help implementing a green business, connecting with other similar-minded businesses in the community. We can always rely on them to stay ahead of the curve and let us know when new, green opportunities arise. They gave us countless resources that helped us find ways to go green on a budget, and still do today. The friendly staff at Sustainable Connections are some of our greatest motivators!

BREWSHED ALLIANCE MEMBER

Aslan Brewing Company is one of the many Washington State breweries that make up the Brewshed Alliance. This is an outreach initiative of Washington Wild* designed to bring people together with a simple message: protected water makes superior beer. As water flows through the land it picks up natural minerals that give downstream beer a distinct flavor. It also picks up pollutants that then have to be laboriously taken out of the beer with great care by the brewer to ensure the end product doesn’t have any undesirable flavors. Participating breweries throughout the state are helping people understand how conservation work from organizations like Washington Wild benefits the quality of the beer in their glass.

*Washington Wild protects and restores wild lands and waters in Washington State through advocacy, education, and civic engagement.

RAINWATER HARVESTING

We capture rainwater from our roof and use it to water our outdoor plants and gardens. From one rainstorm, we can get as much as 45 gallons of water. This helps us reduce our water use and conserve our filtered water as much as possible. We’re also a Downtown Improvement Garden Steward. These gardens help filter out pollutants picked up by stormwater runoff, which improves the quality of nearby waterways. Water drains off our roof no matter what — might as well put it to good use by using it to help the plants around our restaurant stay happy, healthy, and beautiful!

RENEWABLE ENERGY

In order to help offset our energy impact, our brewery runs on 100% Green Power Energy! We offset our electricity based carbon footprint with investments in renewable energy through Puget Sound Energy.

CONSCIOUS CONSTRUCTION

When first designing our brewery and restaurant in the historic McBeath Building, we had two major options to consider: knock it all down and build new, or renovate and work with the history inside. The easiest path was new construction, but it also had the greatest environmental impact and overall waste. Despite the extra efforts, we chose renovation. During the nine-plus months of construction, primarily done by our team of owners, family, and friends, we spent days refurbishing used materials inside. Whether it was pulling nails out of wood studs, preserving office windows and doors for reimplementation, or cutting and polishing tarnished metal beams, we found a way to make old things look new.

Not only did we save tens of thousands of dollars by using green building techniques, we were able to minimize our impact on regional landfills. On top of it all, used and repurposed goods have soul, and when it comes craft, soul matters. Shout out to Don Trosset aka DT ...without him, none of this would be possible.