Blefa is a Founding Member of New Steel Keg Association

Apr 27, 2022 | Business

 Stainless steel kegs’ reusability and 30+ year lifespan make them the ideal circular choice for bars and restaurants. These benefits make stainless steel kegs a vital part of the beverage industry, providing the catalyst for Blefa and other leading global supply keg chain companies to launch the new Steel Keg Association.

“Steel kegs are reusable, have a lifespan of decades and guarantee optimum freshness and the best taste of the beverages stored in them, whether beer or wine, soft drinks or table water. The kegs run smoothly on filling and cleaning equipment and are easy to handle in bars and restaurants,” says Blefa Managing Director Alexander Brand, who’s also a member of the Steel Keg Association’s board of directors. “At the same time, we offer many options for branding and customization. The combination of sustainability, hygienic storage and professional appearance is the perfect solution for our customers. With the newly founded Steel Keg Association, we want to give these advantages a unified voice. Blefa is proud to work closely with other industry leaders regarding promoting these benefits.”

“Most people have never thought of kegs as the ultimate reusable containers… when you choose draft from steel kegs, you’re making the most sustainable choice by removing single-use packages from recycling and landfill streams,” said Dan Vorlage, Executive Director of the newly formed association and MicroStar Logistics VP of Global Marketing. “Take beer enjoyed in bars and restaurants in the U.S. as an example. Kegs presently remove about half of all single-use beer containers from the bar / restaurant waste stream each year, that’s approximately 6 billion containers… converting the other half to draft removes a combined 12+ billion single-use containers. That’s a goal worth raising a pint to, and we’re encouraging others to join in.”

The Steel Keg Association’s marketing programs are supported by a new ISO-14040 framework Life Cycle Analysis from Deloitte. Kyle Tanger, Managing Director in Deloitte’s U.S. sustainability practice, says “Steel kegs are truly one of the best examples of reusability and circularity, with decades of reuse potential. In the U.S., compared to single use containers, steel kegs save over 400,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and keep roughly 500,000 tons of packaging out of landfills each year.”

Blefa will support the Steel Keg Association’s efforts and the beverage industry by producing high quality, environmentally-friendly stainless steel kegs that are guaranteed for 30+ years. The Blefa Excellence Network provides keg maintenance for customers around the globe to keep their assets in optimum condition for freshness.

About Blefa

Blefa Beverage Systems is one of the world’s leading suppliers of stainless steel kegs for beer, wine and soft drinks and is part of the internationally operating Artemis Holding group (Aarburg, Switzerland). Blefa Beverage Systems has over 155 employees in Germany and approximately 70 in the USA. All our beer, wine and soft drinks kegs in stainless steel are manufactured at both our headquarters in Kreuztal, Germany. Our US facilities in La Vergne, (TN), Pottstown, (PA) and Vancouver, (WA) does not only provide our customers with kegs from stock (Kwik Kegs), but also with both a stationary and mobile keg service.

About SKA

The Steel Keg Association is a marketing-focused non-profit organization, on a mission to help increase the volume of beer and other beverages served from stainless steel kegs. The Association’s founding members represent a diverse collection of leaders in the global steel keg supply chain: Blefa, Hillebrand Gori, MicroMatic, MicroStar Logistics, Schaefer Container Systems and THIELMANN. To learn more or get involved, email info@steelkegs.org or visit www.steelkegassociation.org.

Blefa Kegs

Justin Willenbrink

615-462-4322

www.blefa.com

ContactContact

Categories

  • Beer & Spirits
  • Beverages
  • Business
  • Food & Beverage
  • Manufacturing

GM Recognized as a Founding Donor of the National Museum of the American Latino

Dec 15, 2021 | Business



Today, General Motors announced a $3 million donation to the Smithsonian Latino Center’s Molina Family Latino Gallery, the first dedicated museum space celebrating the U.S. Latino experience. The Molina Family Latino Gallery will serve as the provisional National Museum of the American Latino.


The funding will support national educational programs for youth who have limited access to robust STEM learning opportunities, some of which will take place at the Learning Lounge inside the Molina Family Latino Gallery. This programming will engage the community, enhance lifelong learning, and increase awareness and access to their collections and resources in the arts, humanities and STEM. The Lounge will also offer intergenerational literacy and bilingual online resources focused on history and the arts.


“GM is committed to being part of long-term, sustainable improvement in education, health, economic opportunities and policy in our communities,” said Telva McGruder, GM chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. “Teaming up with organizations like the Smithsonian that educate, expand horizons and honor legacy aligns with our commitment to a more equitable future.”


The Learning Lounge and the Molina Family Latino Gallery will open to visitors in spring 2022.


“The Smithsonian Latino Center is grateful for the contribution made by General Motors, which will help us bring to life a space dedicated to preserving and paying homage to the historical and cultural legacy of Latinos in the U.S.,” said Eduardo Díaz, director of the Smithsonian Latino Center. “Latinos are an integral part of U.S. society, and we are proud to work with organizations such as GM that are supporting the creation of a space that will feature and honor their dynamic stories at a national level.”


GM will continue to make investments that support equity in diverse communities. Through the Justice and Inclusion Fund, for example, GM has supported 20 nonprofit organizations and served more than 2.7 million people since 2020, with the goal of driving generational impact.


To learn more about GM’s inclusion, equity, diversity, and community investments, visit GM.com.


IMAGE CAPTION:

General Motors announces a donation to the Smithsonian Latino Center’s Molina Family Latino Gallery, the first dedicated museum space celebrating the U.S. Latino experience. The Molina Family Latino Gallery will serve as the provisional National Museum of the American Latino. Rendering courtesy of the Smithsonian Latino Center.


General Motors (NYSE:GM) is a global company focused on advancing an all-electric future that is inclusive and accessible to all. At the heart of this strategy is the Ultium battery platform, which will power everything from mass-market to high-performance vehicles. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Baojun and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety and security services, can be found at https://www.gm.com.