To pay tribute to members of the middle tier in the beverage alcohol industry, Beverage Wholesaler has put together our first annual Distributor Best Practices Awards. This first year was a success, and we are honoring five companies who have demonstrated innovation in running efficient, successful operations.
Republic National Distributing Company‘s (RNDC) commitment to reducing their carbon footprint earned them a win in our Best Sustainability Initiative category.
RNDC’s Commitment to Decarbonization
Beverage alcohol has a sizeable carbon footprint. The global alcoholic beverage industry produces about 1.5 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, which is comparable to the emissions of around 276 million cars, according to a Manchester University Study conducted in 2020.
Everything from growing the ingredients needed for fermentation, manufacturing and packaging to fuel used to ship these products around the world all contributes to climate change. But several suppliers and importers have implemented more sustainable practices.
One of the more notable sustainability initiatives comes from RNDC. Rooted in the company’s greenhouse emissions inventory and steered by a materiality assessment, their strategic plan revolves around four crucial pillars of decarbonization:
- Sustainable Fleet and Electrification Identification Opportunities to strategically transition to a more sustainable fleet and identify innovative solutions for cleaner fuel.
- Renewable Energy and Facility Exploration solutions to reduce energy demand and diversify the energy supply to clean sources of energy that have a lower environmental impact.
- Circular Economy and Waste Commitment to sustainable waste management and protection of natural resources by reducing, recycling and reusing.
- Supply Chain Engagement and Partnering with suppliers and customers to understand indirect emissions better and identify ways to reduce supply chain emissions.
In addition to these steps, RNDC’s HR manager of supplier excellence & growth and eCommerce Camille Davis says the company also aims to actively contribute to industry-wide sustainability conversations by sharing the knowledge they’ve gained on their sustainability journey.
“Recently, we participated in a panel discussion led by the International Wineries for Climate Action, where we had the opportunity to share insights and learn from others in the industry,” she says.
Partnering with suppliers has been very beneficial to RNDC’s employees, teaching them what it means to be a sustainable brand. “We regularly invite guest speakers to share their expertise and experiences related to sustainability, certifications and production processes. This ensures our associates understand what differentiates these brands on shelves and menus,” notes Davis.
RNDC also collaborates with suppliers for joint volunteer days, allowing employees to engage hands-on and build meaningful connections with the company’s partners.
On the customer side, RNDC strives to “complete all sustainability surveys to provide the necessary data for measuring progress and supporting Scope 3 carbon reduction initiatives,” says Davis.
Additional sustainability goals at RNDC include implementing LED lighting retrofits in 14 locations as well as reducing kilowatt/hour usage by 20%.
“RNDC is partnering with ProStar Energy Solutions to install solar systems at two locations: Lubbock, Texas and Ashland, Virginia,” says Davis. “In Ashland, we will be cutting our KWH’s annually from 2M to 285K and generating 70% of our energy from solar. In Lubbock we will be cutting our KWH’s annually from 513K to 205K and generating 60% of energy from solar. We will be saving 2.023M KWHs annually.”
RNDC’s Green Team is the driving force behind all the company’s sustainability initiatives. Next year, Davis says they hope to continue growing this critical team.
“Representing all departments, this cross-functional team leads volunteer events, inspires colleagues to embrace sustainability in both their work and personal lives and educates others on the importance of supporting sustainable brands in driving the sustainability movement forward,” she says.
In 2025, Davis also notes that the company will be working closely with CBRE (owner of RNDC’s Tracy CA facility) to add solar and reduce the hours they are on the CA grid. “The goal will be to be solar powered from 4p.m. to 9p.m., which is CA peak energy usage time,” she says.
