Sustainable Waste Management in Casa Sauza Tequila Industry

One of the Casa Sauza principal commitments, it's to be environmentally friendly in all the activities we do, always focusing in the search and implementation of new ways to reduce our environmental impact. I expose some examples of our achievements in the following text:

How does Casa Sauza Manage Waste/Residues?

Talking about sustainable successes, in Tequila Sauza waste management is one of them. When handling special management waste, that is to say, all those residues generated in different processes that don't present certain characteristics to consider them dangerous, Casa Sauza is categorized as a big waste source, since it exceeds 10 tons per year.

About this situation, because of the nature of all the operations regarding the tequila making process, it's not possible to reduce these waste amounts, however, we can focus in the relevant aspects of creating conscience about waste treatment and utilization.

Concerning dangerous waste, originally Casa Sauza was categorized as a big waste generator, a scenario that we have been able to change through time, as we are going to show you in the next lines.

How many Waste does Casa Sauza Manage?

Everything started by the end of the year 2007 when the waste amounts started to be supervised as well as the final disposition and treatment both types of residues were receiving. By doing so, we found that only the 84% of the special management waste, was being handled properly by means of environmentally friendly treatments.

Then, regarding the dangerous waste, the annual generation was above the 22 tons, although with a controlled final destination within the legal policies and meeting the official standards.

At that moment, we began to establish goals for our industry. In the first case of special management waste, we committed to increase the waste percentage treated and utilized in eco-friendly sustainable processes, in amounts that day by day are closer to the 100%.

In terms of dangerous waste, the main goal has been to reduce the annual waste amount generated and to reach a lower production category. But, what goals have we achieved with the special management waste and how have we done it?

The 100% percent of our special management waste receive an authorized treatment by the official standards, however, only the 99.9% can be utilized for other production processes.

How does Casa Sauza Manage Bagasse Waste?

The bagasse is the highest volume waste used in the elaboration of compost, which is utilized in a 100% to improve the soil quality in patches where Tequila Sauza cultivates the agave plant used to make tequila, by doing so we reduce the number of agrochemicals used in this activity, as well as land erosion and salinization problems.

How does Casa Sauza Manage Paper, Carton, Glass and Plastic Waste?

When talking about paper, carton, and plastic, we have to make sure to deliver this kind of waste to recycling companies. In the case of glass, it is returned to the company that provides us with the glass bottles, so it can be re-utilized as a prime material for new Tequila Sauza's bottles.

We make sure that the remaining 0.1% waste, due to the lack of adequate recycling technology in our country, its delivered to proper waste places, and in the meantime we are working together with the providers to reduce or change the use of supplies that generate this kind of waste volume, finding solutions to reduce them.

What does Casa Sauza do with Dangerous Waste?

Our biggest achievement in the subject of dangerous waste has been to reduce our waste production to 3-5 tons in the last reported year (2015) and with a downward tendency nowadays.

The work in the tequila industry has been wide, focusing in the first place in the high volume waste, but reaching other aspects of waste treatment. For example, the soil polluted with hydrocarbon has been eliminated in a 100% with the substitution of the fuel used to generate steam.

Another high volume waste are the muds with caustic soda, in which also a reduction close to the 100% was achieved. Initially, they get dehidrated in the generation source, then the water is transported to our waste water treatment area, getting separated from the solids. Later on this process whas automatized till it reached an optime level and reduced significately the caustic soda amount during the washing process. The main benefit we obtained from this process, was that the resulting muds have not toxic characteristics, turning them into special management waste, which are easier to treat.