DENVER, April 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stainless steel kegs' reusability and 30+ year lifespan make them the ideal circular choice for bars and restaurants. This fact, and other benefits, make steel kegs a vital part of the beverage industry and provide the catalyst for MicroStar and other leading global supply keg chain companies to launch the new Steel Keg Association.
"Steel kegs deliver on the benefits bars and restaurants demand: circularity, efficiency and a differentiated consumer experience," said Michael Hranicka, Board Chair for the new Steel Keg Association. "It's a great story, yet there's never before been a unified voice to tell it. That changes today with the launch of the Steel Keg Association. MicroStar is proud to work shoulder to shoulder with other industry leaders to rally behind these benefits to help beer grow on premise."
"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."
MicroStar will support the Steel Keg Association's efforts with a focus on the U.S. beer market initially, and will leverage MicroStar's international KegStar division to advance the association's mission in the U.K. and Western Europe later in 2022.
About MicroStar Logistics
Founded in 1996, MicroStar Logistics is the world's leading provider of outsourced kegs and sets the global benchmark in keg repair and maintenance. Now with its new Kegstar Division
About the Steel Keg Association
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 GmbH, Hillebrand Gori, Micro Matic, MicroStar Logistics, Schaefer Container Systems, and Thielmann. To learn more or get involved, email info@steelkegs.orgor visit www.steelkegassociation.org.
SOURCE: MicroStar Logistics
