What Environmental Hangover? Tequila Goes Green
It is the spirit of Mexico, a New World classic that has in recent years become decidedly on-trend. Amid news reports that the popular tequila has a negative environment impact, 10 of the nation’s leading distilleries have signed groundbreaking agreements with GreenHouse Holdings to address the issues.
According to an early February report by Fox News Latino, tequila is leaving a dangerous environmental hangover in Jalisco, the Mexican state where it is made.
A byproduct known as vinaza is produced at a rate of 10 liters for every liter of tequila (there is also five to six kilograms of leftover agave or bagazo). While Mexico’s largest distilleries have had the dedicated funds to find new ways to safely dispose of the waste, it has been a struggle for smaller distilleries, who account for 50 percent of the country’s tequila production.
The new agreement between GreenHouse and the country’s larger distilleries will go a long way to improve these environmental concerns. They are becoming more energy efficient and sustainable, meeting the newly enacted federal regulations. (The Southern California–based GreenHouse Holdings is leading provider of energy efficiency and sustainable infrastructure.)
Per the agreement, GreenHouse will remove approximately 600 tons of solid agave waste per day from its 10 partners, who represent roughly 33 percent of the region’s total agave waste. GreenHouse also plans to convert the waste to compost and sell fertilizer to local farmers. It can then be used to protect soil. The company estimates it will be able to produce approximately 120,000 tons of compost fertilizer per year.
How will this affect the smaller distilleries who often don’t have access to the resources needed to properly dispose of their waste as is required by local laws? A press release from GreenHouse reads:
“We are working with the environmental agencies in Mexico who monitor how waste is treated so that the smaller Tequila producers can properly compost and/or dispose of their waste,” commented Alex Viecco, Director of Operations for Greenhouse Soluciones. “These tequila companies came to us for a solution to the waste problem and we will work with them on managing these issues so that they can be environmentally efficient while maximizing their revenue.” “Within the Tequila industry, there are significant opportunities to boost the local economy through job development and the improvement of the environment while increasing the quality of the Tequila,” said Congressman Gustavo Macias Zambrano. “I encourage the collaboration between GreenHouse and these agencies to develop a long-term, sustainable plan for the region.” With the potential capacity of accepting as much as 2,100 tons daily of solid waste per day, GreenHouse Soluciones will be making a large contribution to improve the problems facing the industry and hence improving the local and global ecology.”