Media Flaws

"Thanks for the opportunity to respond to the read­er in Newlands, who we were thrilled to see is a great fan of SAB's products.

Capetonians who live in the southern suburbs not only demonstrate an entirely appropriate environ­mental sensitivity to the area and beyond, but take a pointed interest in all activities which could have an effect on sustainability. In this, they are perhaps unique in their understanding of important issues, but also in their appreciation of the unique heritage of the area. As one of the area's longest-standing and proud citizens, we share both of these.

Many people new to the southern suburbs may not know of our very close connection to the area. Beer was first brewed using water from the Ilesbeeck River in 1658. The Newlands brewery retains its link with the past in many special ways.

Historic buildings on the site include a malt house and an English tower brewery, all dating back to the early 1800s, and all now protected as national monu­ments, the site being granted National Heritage Sta­tus in October 1995.

Today, modernity and sophistication are the hall­marks of the brewery, and it is the hub of an exten­sive, sophisticated operation that serves the Western Cape and parts of the Eastern Cape. Products are exported to Namibia, Angola and the United King­dom. The brewery received re-accreditation as an IIP (Investors in People) business. It has also earned ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification.

The ISO certification in particular requires adher­ence to rigorous environmental practices.

Many of these practices are considered ground­breaking and farsighted and include a R13-million effluent plant, which started operating in July 2004. This plant reduces the load at the Athlone municipal effluent plant; where Newlands waste was being treated. This practice is in line with international best practice, advocating "treatment at source". The plant was installed particularly because the brewery is situ­ated in an environmentally-sensitive area and is unique in that it is fully enclosed with an air treat­ment system to ensure odourless discharge.

Building facades and design incorporate aestheti­cal considerations and environmental considera­tions. Trucks accessing the site have their hydraulic systems dampened to minimise noise pollution and travel specific routes to minimise noise to our neigh­bours.

To address your reader's concerns specifically about air quality: Newlands Brewery has had oil-fired boilers for the last 10 years, previously upgraded from coal. In addition, a new higher quality diesel is now used (since December), which has cut emissions by a further 35%.

What your reader is probably smelling is actually malt. The only time that sulphur is detectable is when there is a switch to alternative energy in order to cut power demand and avoid load shedding in co-opera­tion with Eskom. When this happens, we run our oil­fired boilers instead of our electro-boiler during peak hours. This reduces the need for Eskom to loadshed residential areas.

The oil in the boilers is combusted and as with any combustion process, there are some emissions. These include C02 and water vapour. To reduce the impact on residents, we specifically use a low sulphur con­centration fuel. Importantly, our boiler stack emis­sions are well below what is required by the National Environment Management Air QualityAct.

As a further point of interest, plans are already underway to harness the methane, a renewable ener­gy source, produced by our effluent treatment plant to further reduce our energy consumption at the brewery. This practice is in line with international best practice. `

If your reader has any other query or would like to take a historic tour of the brewery, we would ask that they to get in touch with Jacki Lange on email at jacki.lange@zasabmiller.com or on 021658 7511."