Safer Cleaning Program for Craft Beverage Operations
This alternatives assessment service by the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the BetterBev program helps craft beverage manufacturers identify and implement safer and healthier cleaning and sanitizing strategies.
Most craft beverage facilities are great candidates for this service because they generally have considerable flexibility in how they select and use cleaning and sanitization products. Participating facilities can expect recommendations to optimize chemical concentrations, temperature, and latency periods that can achieve cost savings, production efficiency, and improved safety conditions.
What to Expect
| Service Levels | What Takes Place | Benefit |
| 1. Quick Review
(Fastest results) |
A technical assistance provider (TAP) visits your facility for a short walk-through to collect information on cleaning and disinfection procedures. A list of successful alternatives is provided in 2-3 weeks. | Learn about successful cleaning and disinfectant strategies that have saved money and reduced safety risks at other breweries. |
| 2. Bench Testing
(Better results) |
A TAP collects and sends “dirty” samples to the TURI Lab to compare current cleaning practices with the suggested alternatives. The lab sends results in 2-3 months. | Verify how well alternative cleaning and disinfecting practices work in a laboratory setting. |
| 3. Pilot Testing
(Process specific results) |
After conducting bench testing, A TAP schedules a small-scale performance test at your facility. The process will address all scheduling and logistical considerations to ensure continuous facility operations. The timing will depend on the facility’s schedule and staff availability. | Verify how well alternative cleaning and disinfecting practices work under authentic operating conditions. |
Elements of an Alternatives Assessment
The goal of the Safer Cleaning Module is to improve the operational efficiency and environmental performance of a facility’s cleaning and disinfecting practices. This outcome relies on the following elements of success:
- Rigorous Performance Standards: The primary concern of any alternatives assessment is to maintain a high level of operational performance. This means that the effectiveness of cleaning recommendations has been scientifically verified using several diagnostic procedures.
- Total Cost Effectiveness: An alternatives assessment includes a total cost evaluation that goes beyond market prices to assess ancillary costs, such as the time and effort needed to prepare and use the recommended product. This approach establishes a reliable basis for financial comparison by uncovering hidden costs and fees.
- Expert Health and Safety Assessment: Keeping employees healthy and safe is a business’s first priority. The alternatives assessment is based on up-to-date research and expert advice that identifies and addresses key health and safety risks.
- Multimedia Environmental Review: Cleaning products can impact air and water quality and trigger environmental compliance requirements. Each alternative assessment includes a multimedia environmental review of environmental concerns.
- Logistical Feasibility: All safer cleaning recommendations are reviewed for their logistical feasibility. For example, recommended cleaning and disinfectant products address every concern, it may not be offered by your distributor or by any distributor. Similarly, a process change may work for one brewery but not another. Consequently, all recommendations are checked for their logistical feasibility.
Cost
Free for businesses in Massachusetts. All other facilities, please contact us for pricing information.
About the TURI Lab
TURI’s Laboratory is a nationally recognized facility that helps companies choose safer cleaning and disinfectant substitutes. With over 30 years of providing technical support to industry for various applications, the lab specializes in collaborating closely with end users to develop, assess, and support the adoption of customized, safer, and more efficient products.
Learn More