Sustainability Solutions Fermenting in South West

CBCo recently welcomed a large crowd of over 50 industry professionals for a unique ‘Innovation Challenge’ to connect and collaborate on wastewater challenges impacting South West wineries and the rapidly growing craft brewery sector.

Delivered by local consultants Innovation Cluster in collaboration with the Shire of Augusta Margaret River, the CONNECT Innovation Challenge attracted a varied group of attendees including winery and brewery businesses, university researchers, environmental consultants, service providers, and local and state government representatives.

The Innovation Challenge has been a great example of the collaborative spirit between the Shire and the community in finding tangible solutions to address pressing demands and caring for our environment, and the Shire is proud to support these types of events and efforts that figure out practical steps to achieve a sustainable economy. 

This was a great opportunity for Margaret River Wine Association, a leading local organisation who supports grape growers and wine producers to attain certification of their Sustainable practices, to collaborate with a number of different experts and the brewery industry to discuss potential opportunities for different size organisations to become more efficient in the reuse of wastewater. 

Representatives from Rocky Ridge Brewing Co and Cape Mentelle spoke about environmental sustainability and carbon neutrality as a high priority for beverage producers, with current practices and water regulations challenging the industry’s smooth transition to a circular economy, with wastewater recycled for agricultural and potable use. 

Working in small teams to unpack the problems, themes emerged around:

• Education
• End-to-end expertise and support roles
• Funding and shared infrastructure to support wastewater innovation
• Reclassification and new regulatory definitions to align with site variability
• An appreciation of individualised outcomes.

The creative and innovative solutions generated were then pitched in front of the crowd to an expert panel. These included: 

• Wastewater treatment trial sites
• Novel cleaning products
• Early intervention brewing playbook
• Establishing a wastewater co-operative
• A mobile treatment plant servicing smaller operations
• Shifting from a focus on the chemicals to an energy focus
• A nutrient recommendation algorithm 

The event was part of the CONNECT Sustainable Industries program supported by the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Shire of Augusta Margaret River, Bendigo Bank Community Bank Busselton and Dunsborough, South West Brewers Alliance and Margaret River Wine Association.