PRESS RELEASE Sierra Nevada has released its 2025 Impact Report this Earth Month to highlight the brand’s ongoing sustainability efforts and share its future targets for progress.

By 2030, the independent craft brewer aims to tread lightly by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, annually meet or exceed its work well ambitions that directly impact employees, minimize environmental impact and maximize efficiency with be resourceful commitments, give back to communities and causes through its go together ambitions, and continue to chart a course with advocacy and leadership within the craft beer industry. The full Hop Forward report from Sierra Nevada further outlines specific goals, actions and ambitions.

Highlights from the Hop Forward Impact Report

What the brand already does:

  • Sierra Nevada’s Mills River, NC brewery is still the only LEED Platinum production brewery in the country
  • The company still owns and operates the largest solar array in craft beer
  • Sierra Nevada maintains platinum TRUE zero waste status at both brewing facilities
  • The company maintains a strong community engagement and charitable giving program including national partnerships and employee matching initiatives
  • Sierra Nevada maintains Ocean Friendly Certification in both site Taprooms, as well as a commitment to zero waste event operations 

What the brand intends to do:

  • Invest in infrastructure and initiatives that further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase operational resiliency across Scopes 1, 2 and 3
  • Invest in practices and initiatives that foster inclusion and belonging to support employee engagement and satisfaction
  • Target 50% of raw materials used to produce products are grown with regenerative or sustainable practices
  • Contribute $2 million and 1,000 employee volunteer hours to nonprofit organizations by 2030
  • Build awareness of non-alcoholic products, including Trail Pass and Hop Splash, in support of responsible drinking
  • Annually publish its Impact Report to maintain transparency and share progress

“We have worked diligently on our Hop Forward strategy and annual report to ensure we covered all the bases and truly assessed our existing efforts against our future ambitions to outline a realistic and sustainable way forward,” said Mandi McKay, Chief Sustainability & Social Impact Officer at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. “We’ve accomplished a great deal in the past four decades and are now using that momentum to set new goals guided by our core values of quality, community, sustainability, integrity and people. We recognize that we have a responsibility to push further to mitigate our footprint while still providing beverages with the best ingredients and finest quality.”

Limited-Edition Hop Forward Beer

To celebrate this initiative, Sierra Nevada will release a limited batch of Hop Forward Hoppy Ale at both brewery sites and through their online gift shop starting on Earth Day, April 22, 2025. Available only while supplies last. The beer features locally-sourced malt from the Sacramento Valley and an impressive selection of organic hops, including Organic Simcoe®, Organic Citra® and Organic Krush ®, to name a few. The drinking experience has tasting notes that are fruity, citrusy and hoppy at just 36 IBU. The beer is an approachable 5.5% ABV, sold in 6-packs of 12-ounce cans ($15.00) that feature metallic gold branding, a brief description of the Hop Forward initiative, and a QR code right on the can that links to the Impact Report. The full report can be viewed here: https://sierranevada.com/sustainabilityThe beer can be viewed here: https://sierranevada.com/brews/hop-forward