Prof. Misty Blessley, at Temple U., raises an interesting sustainability issue.
Every drop of water on Earth is part of a continuous cycle. The same water brewed into beer eventually travels through wastewater systems before being treated and returned to the environment, ready to be consumed again. Gray water is defined as: wastewater from showers, baths, bathroom sinks, and washing machines, excluding toilet water (blackwater) and water from kitchen sinks/dishwashers.
A San Francisco firm, Epic Cleantec, makes this cycle explicit by brewing beer with recycled graywater from showers and laundry. Buildings globally use 15% of all potable water, yet almost none reuse it. Partnering with nearby Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company, it created two beers—Shower Hour IPA and Laundry Club Kölsch, using water purified through a multi-stage system until it meets or exceeds potable water standards. Their approach demonstrates how scarce resources can be sourced in new and innovative ways.
The supply chain implications are significant. Brewing is water-intensive, requiring several gallons of water for every gallon of beer produced. As climate volatility and drought increasingly pressure municipal water supplies, integrating recycled water helps mitigate supply risk. Pairing this with drought-tolerant barley and hops further enhances supply chain resilience by mitigating upstream agricultural vulnerabilities.
Epic Cleantec’s model represents circular economy principles in action: closing loops, recapturing resources, and turning waste streams into valuable inputs. Many other food and beverage companies are embracing similar strategies. Rubies in the Rubble (UK) creates condiments from surplus produce that would otherwise be discarded. Upcycled Foods, Inc. (U.S.) produces SuperGrain flour to make bread from spent brewing grain. Planetarians (U.S.) transforms spent yeast and soybeans into a vegan meat product that is competitively priced compared to chicken and below beef.
Epic Cleantec emphasizes the circularity of its inputs to build consumer acceptance, hoping customers celebrate the closed loop. For details on the “circular economy” see Supp. 5 of your Heizer/Render/Munson text.
Classroom Discussion Questions:
1. Forecasting is covered in Ch 4 of the Heizer/Render/Munson textbook. How would you forecast demand for beers made with recycled graywater, given potential consumer hesitation?
2. TQM Tools are covered in Ch 6. Which tools should the two firms use to ensure water quality and process reliability throughout treatment and brewing?