The deposit return system at The Beer Store, established in 1927, is still incredibly popular with consumers today.Supplied
“One of our mantras is that we were green before it was cool,” says Jay Wilson, senior vice-president of people and culture at The Beer Store. He’s talking about the deposit return system that’s at the heart of the company that has sold and distributed beer to Ontarians since it was founded nearly a century ago as Brewers Retail.
“I think Ontarians, when they see The Beer Store, think it stops and starts with retail,” Wilson says. “But we have a whole supply chain within The Beer Store. Having beer go out with our fleet and get dropped off at pubs, licensees, concert venues, you name it — when those trucks come back, they don’t come back empty. They come back with empties. That’s something we’re very proud of, that reverse logistics model.”
Rachel Morier, director of sustainability, says the deposit return system was about money when it began and appealed to the frugality of both customers and the breweries that owned and ran the system.
“In 1927, when it was established,” she says, “this was before any discussion of sustainability and climate change and the circular economy. It was about ensuring that consumers could get their deposit back. The brewers realized that they were making trips to deliver finished goods and from a business standpoint it made sense to pick up the empties at the same time to save money.
“Today there’s the added benefit of social responsibility and environmental stewardship, but it really comes down to ‘Can we get our containers back and are we ensuring that Ontarians who buy from our system will get their deposit back?’”
A standard beer bottle, Morier says, will get refilled and reused an average of 15 times before being recycled back into a glass bottle. It’s a closed system in order to make sure the glass remains free of contaminants and impurities, which increases its value to processors and glass manufacturers. Aluminum cans, increasingly popular with consumers, can be recycled and returned to shelves in as little as six weeks.
“We know the public likes our deposit return system,” says Wilson. “We still make sure we actively market the deposit return system. We know that there are many folks who have empties in the garage or basement.”
To that end the company has an app to help customers find retail locations and alternate locations for returns. They also organize bottle drives, like the one held after the Victoria Day weekend, partnering with the United Food and Commercial Workers 12R24 union to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada, which has raised $24 million over the years.
“I’m the father of three lovely children and my mandate is to make sure they have a place to grow and flourish beyond when we leave this earth,” Wilson says. “Knowing The Beer Store really leans into stewardship and into community are big, critical things for me, personally.”
“Our culture is fun,” says Morier. “At the end of the day, we’re in the business of beer, and how cool is that? Next year will be our hundredth year and we plan to stick around for many more. And part of that plan is making sure we continue to work hard and have fun doing it.”
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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.