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Blue sky drinking
Blue sky
drinking Meet the Imperial PhD students on a mission to transform your next pint.
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id you know that buying just one bottle of imported beer from your corner shop has a carbon footprint of up to 900g? That knot you’re feeling in your stomach is called ‘beer guilt’. Introducing COBrew, the startup producing beer that not only tastes great but is also good for the planet. Yep, you heard us right! COBrew has made it their mission to ensure no-one ever has to feel beer guilt again.* Luciana Miu, COBrew Co-Founder (PhD Chemical Engineering 2020), explains that the idea for COBrew was sparked by a few members of the team wanting to change the brewing industry. “Most of us enjoy a nice pint, but few of us stop to think about all the environmental implications of that full glass or bottle in our hand. Two years ago, several of the team had a bit of a revelation about the lack of concerted action to reduce brewing emissions and, what’s more, the lack of public awareness and engagement with the issue. “We met as part of the Grantham Institute’s ‘Challenge Team’ project, in which PhD students on the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet Doctoral Training Partnership (SSCP DTP) work on climate or environmental
Most of us enjoy a nice pint, but few of us stop to think about all the environmental implications of that full glass or bottle in our hand. outreach projects. We had the opportunity to turn our interest in making carbon-neutral beer into a year-long project, and it was so successful that we just decided to keep going!” Today, brewing industry emissions amount to 1.5 per cent of the UK’s national carbon emissions, but COBrew has worked out a way to eliminate their carbon footprint altogether: “We’re taking a life-cycle approach to our supply chain and production emissions and getting creative with how we reduce or eliminate them altogether. We use low-energy recipes, source our ingredients locally, transport everything by bike or electric vehicle, brew using renewable energy and package our product in reused bottles.” Here at the Enterprise Lab, we love a cold beer after a long week of supporting startups, (drinking responsibly, of course), and if it’s also saving the planet, then we’re definitely on board! So, this year we’ve teamed up with COBrew to bring you our brand-new ELab beer – drum roll please: Carbon NeutrALE! Ta dah! *In terms of your carbon footprint, not your drunken antics. You are still fully responsible for those.
Head to the next Pitch ‘n’ Mix event to get your hands on one and find out more about COBrew’s beer-illiance at: www.imperialenterpriselab.com/cobrew
Issue two / 2019–20
The magazine for student innovators & entrepreneurs D/srupt
