Sustainability and Social Justice

Date of Award

5-2017

Degree Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Dual Degree Master of Business Administration/Master of Science in Environmental Science and Policy (MBA/ESP)

Department

International Development, Community and Environment

Chief Instructor

Timothy Downs, D.Env.

Second Reader

David Correll, Ph.D.

Keywords

Beverage industry, New England, Water, Sustainability, CSR Pyramid, Climate change

Abstract

Water is a vital resource to the ecosystem, human life, and the economy. However, it is a limited resource that is threatened by a changing climate. The small beverage industry relies on large amounts of high quality water and is therefore at risk due to the uncertainties of climate change. This paper explores how the small beverage industry in New England approaches water to ensure that the industry is sustainable in the long term. A water threatened brewery in California, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, is used to determine “best practices.” Three small beverage companies in New England are examined to represent the local industry.

This paper identifies where the companies fall on Carrol’s CSR Pyramid to determine what these companies need to focus on to improve their water approaches. Small beverage companies are successfully thinking about water within their facilities but few companies are thinking about their water impact outside of the facility. To be more climate change resilient, companies need to consider water strategies both inside and outside of their facilities.

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