Yesterday, I had the opportunity to tour the Brewers Distrubution Ltd. (BDL) building, which is located next to the Coast Meridian Overpass. Thanks to Greg D’Avignon, Mike Allen, Cheryl Muir, Tony Beck and others. I was enlightened about the leadership role this organization is playing in solid waste management and as a global leader in extended producer responsibility, there are many lessons we can learn from BDL.
Here are some stats about this Port Coquitlam business:
- 438,464 square feet – the size of the building
- 400+ employees
- 90% - unionized staff.
- 12,584 – the size of the green roof
- 187,588 – the number of dozen beer that are delivered EACH DAY
- 1,456 – the number of kegs delivered each day
- 3728 – number of BDL customers
- 511 – number of deliveries per day
These are impressive numbers. However, to achieve these numbers you need a super star staff. All the employees, from the pickers to the management need to be focused on a complex logistics management system.
However, as impressive as the quality of the facility and the quantity of the beer that is delivered, so is the Cradle to Cradle management of their products. BDL is a shining star in the reduce, reuse and recycle industry. BDL is a flagship example of Extended Producer Responsibility, a business that all other industries can look to for leadership. Can you imagine that all products you bought could be taken back to the retailer you purchased them from and the producer of the produce would reuse the product, and if when the product was at the end of its life they re-engineered the product. That is how we achieve a zero waste economy.
Here are some impressive numbers:
- 94.31% return rate of beer bottles
- 93.98 return rate of cans
- 99.15% return rate of kegs
- 56,118 tonnes total waste diversion each year
We are proud to have Brewers Distributing in Port Coquitlam. Now you will know a little more about another impressive business in Port Coquitlam.
