BLEFA is a founding member of the new Steel Keg Association

Leading companies within the global keg supply chain join forces

Leading companies within the global keg supply chain join forces

Kreuztal, Germany, May 4, 2022 /GlobeNewswire/--Stainless steel kegs are reusable and have a lifespan of over 30 years, making them the perfect circular solution for bars and restaurants. These and other advantages make steel kegs an indispensable element of the beverage industry and were the trigger for BLEFA and other worldwide leading companies within the keg supply chain to found the new Steel Keg Association.

Alexander Brand, President & CEO of BLEFA and board member of the Steel Keg Association, shares, “Steel kegs are reusable. They last decades and guarantee optimal freshness and flavor of the beverages they contain, whether beer, wine, soft drinks, or club soda. Kegs work well with filling and cleaning systems, and they are easy to handle in food service. Plus, we offer many options for branding and customization. The combination of sustainability, hygienic storage, and a professional appearance presents the perfect solution for our customers. Our intention in founding the Steel Keg Association is to give these advantages a unified voice. BLEFA is proud to partner with other industry leaders to promote these advantages.”

Dan Vorlage is the Executive Director of the new association and is VP of Global Marketing at MicroStar Logistics. He adds, “Most people have never thought about the fact that kegs are the ultimate reusable container – when you choose steel kegs for draft beer, you make the sustainable choice by removing disposable containers from the recycling and waste streams. Take for example all the beer consumed in bars and restaurants in the US. Today, about half of all disposable containers are removed from the waste stream of bars and restaurants every year through the use of kegs. That’s about 6 billion containers – by switching over to draft beer, more than 12 billion disposable containers would be eliminated. It’s a goal worth having a beer over, and we encourage others to join in.”

 

The marketing programs of the Steel Keg Association are being supported by a new ISO 14040 life cycle assessment from Deloitte. Kyle Tanger, Managing Director in the US sustainability consulting department at Deloitte, explains, “Steel kegs are really one of the best examples of reusability and circular economy, with the potential for decades of reuse. In the US, steel kegs produce over 400,000 tons less greenhouse gases than disposable containers. Furthermore, they prevent around 500,000 tons of packaging from ending up in landfills each year.”

BLEFA supports the efforts of the Steel Keg Association and the beverage industry by manufacturing high-quality, environmentally friendly stainless steel kegs with a warranty of over 30 years. The BLEFA Excellence Network offers keg service all around the world to ensure freshness and optimal condition of customers’ systems.

About BLEFA

BLEFA BEVERAGE SYSTEMS, part of the international corporation Artemis Holding (Aarburg, Switzerland), is the worldwide leading supplier of stainless steel kegs for beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages. BLEFA BEVERAGE SYSTEMS employs more than 155 people in Germany and around 40 in the US. All of our stainless steel beer, wine, and soft drink kegs are manufactured at our headquarters in Kreuztal, Germany. Our US subsidiaries in La Vergne, TN and Vancouver, WA supply our customers with off-the-shelf kegs (KwikKegs). They also perform keg service in conventional shops and via mobile keg service.

About the SKA

The Steel Keg Association is a marketing-oriented non-profit organization whose goal is to increase the sale of beer and other beverages from stainless steel kegs. The founding members of the association represent a multitude of leading companies in the global steel keg supply chain: BLEFA, Hillebrand Gori, Micro Matic, MicroStar Logistics, Schaefer Container Systems, and THIELMANN. If you’d like to learn more or get involved, email info[at]steelkegs.org or visit www.steelkegassociation.org.