The Beer Store’s Responsible Stewardship Report Championing Sustainability in Ontario is a celebration of achievements made in 2023 specific to The Beer Store’s deposit return system for beer containers and the Ontario Deposit Return Program (ODRP) for containers that include wine and spirit bottles purchased at the LCBO. In 2023, approximately 1.7 billion beverage alcohol containers were collected from Ontario consumers (over 1.2 billion Beer Store containers and over 448 million ODRP containers) and reused or recycled at the highest order to advance a circular economy.
“Since 1927, we have played a key role as a trusted partner in sustainability, working hard with you to be environmental leaders and keep our communities clean,” said Roy Benin, President of The Beer Store. “The success of our partnership is proven year after year as we continuously take back more containers than we sell through our container return program and the Ontario Deposit Return Program facilitated through our business on behalf of the province of Ontario.”
Over the last 95 years, The Beer Store has contributed to several circular economy milestones:
- Approximately 1.7 billion alcohol containers are collected annually from Ontario consumers (over 1.2 billion Beer Store containers and over 448 million ODRP containers).
- Our success is proven year after year as we continuously take back more containers for reuse or recycling than were sold in our system in 2023. This is done through both our container return program and the Ontario Deposit Return Program facilitated through our business on behalf of the province of Ontario.
- 98% of all refillable beer bottles sold in Ontario were returned – these bottles are reused an average of 15 times before being recycled into new glass bottles.
- For nearly a century, TBS has not only been a go-to destination for beer sales but also a dedicated partner for brewers and customers to meet their sustainability goals. The Beer Store has a 79% recovery rate on items it sells.
- 201,689 metric tons of GHG emissions are avoided yearly, equivalent to nearly 48,000 cars off Ontario roads.
- TBS supports the LLSC through fundraising events throughout the year and an annual bottle drive that has been taking place since 2006. We have proudly raised over $23 million to support the LLSC’s important mission.
To download a copy of The Beer Store Responsible Stewardship report, please visit https://www.thebeerstore.ca/tbs-environmental-report/