Seeing that saving raw materials is key to long term strategic business production, SABECO Hanoi has set up material and fuel specific norms per 1,000 liters of beer for each month, quarter and year and established a panel to monitor and control the implementation of these norms and made periodical reports to the company’s leadership.

According to SABECO Hanoi Deputy Director Nguyen Van Bien, the most effective cleaner production solution is the utilization of biogas collected in the wastewater treatment process in gas fired boilers, saving large amounts of fuel oil and electricity in beer production. “This has helped reduce biogas emissions that pollute the environment, and taken advantage of excess hot water in the production process for other uses,” he added.

The company has adopted a dry cleaning method, saving water; and installed inverters in all of its power consuming devices to reduce and save energy.

In particular, the brewing system, known to be the most power consuming in the beer production process, has also had a steam heater installed using the steam coming out of boiling kettles, reducing a large amount of oil to boil the beer kettles. Condensed water in the heat exchange process is delivered to the boiler, saving much water.

Along with the cleaner production solutions, the company has also applied the ISO 9001-2008 and ISO 14000 to ensure technology requirements and equipment maintenance; and the HACCP systems for food safety.

The application of 15 cleaner production solutions has helped the SABECO Hanoi save electricity, oil, and water by about 10 percent each compared with the norms set by the holding company, Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Joint Stock Corporation. The results were appreciated by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in accordance with the criteria for evaluation of the technology within the scope of cleaner production.

Through energy audit and assessment of cleaner production experts from the Hanoi Energy Conservation Center (ECC Hanoi), the SABECO Hanoi can save 315,187kWh of electricity, 145,774 liters of oil and 48,970cu.m on annual basis, equivalent to VND2.1 billion.

The SABECO Hanoi’s application of 15 cleaner production solutions has been appreciated in terms of economic efficiency associated with sustainable development and environmental protection./.