What is it? Gulpener is a brewery in the South of the Netherlands (Gulpen) which gained B-Corporation status in 2025 (B Lab, 2025). Its aim is to be carbon neutral by 2025. It uses the "25-mile principle" where all resources are sourced regionally and aims to close, slow and narrow resource loops where possible to save resources, energy, water and emissions.
Why is this important? Beer is made out of water, grain, hop and yeast. In the Netherlands, 8% of water consumption for agricultural products is used for cereals and beer (van Oel et al., 2022). Beer production is energy-intensive. It is estimated that 8 % of production costs are used up by heating and cooling processes (Conduah et al., 2025). Energy management would help reduce cost and greenhouse gas emissions (Conduah et al., 2025). Beer also has a high environmental impact through the ingredients used (water, grain, hop and yeast) and transportation on ingredients and the end-product. One study estimated that for European beer, ingredients contributed 39% to overall global warming potential (GWP), followed by beer production (25 %) and glass bottle and transport (13 % each) (see Amienyo & Azapagic, 2016). However, this depends on the assumptions made for the environmental assessment, as in other studies bottle production, dominated the impact (Amienyo & Azapagic, 2016).
Main resource strategy: Narrowing the loop by using optimised production processes for beer brewing (Danfoss, 2025; Meura, 2025). In 2020, Gulpener Brewery invested heavily in energy saving technology to upgrade its factory, amongst others by adding an "Ecostripper" to its production line that reduces evaporation from 9% to 1%, saving energy, resources and cost significantly. Following on from this investment, Gulpener Brewery won the "King Willem I prize" for its sustainable entrepreneurship in 2020 (Entree Magazine, 2024) and is often referred to as "the most sustainable brewery in Europe" (Meura, 2025).
Other resource strategies: Closing the loop by using the brewery's spent grain from the production process which is sold as animal feed to farmers, and used by a bakery that aims to source locally (Bisschopsmolen) to bake bread. This bread is used in the Gulper Brewery's restaurant. The paper labels of glass bottles are collected and sent off to a local paper manufacturer in a nearby city, Roermond, and turned into toilet paper. Slowing the loop is possible through reusing bottles up to around 25 times (Factory visit, 10 September 2025). Glass bottle reuse for beer using a deposit system is common in the Netherlands like in other European countries (Agnusdei et al., 2022). Bottle sizes are also standardised to enable bottle reuse across different brands.
Business model aspects:
- Value Proposition: For Gulpener Brewery, sustainability has become part of its brand, and it has been referred to as "the most sustainable brewery in Europe" (Meura, 2025). For example, around 70% of its Dutch market is in the busy Randstad area, where it is popular with sustainability minded customers (Factory visit, 2025).
- Value Creation & Delivery: Gulpener sources locally (within 25 miles), collaborates with companies like a regional bakery and paper factory, as well as farmers in the region with whom it has close ties. For example, by buying grains from regional farmers for 5% over the market price it also sustains long-term relationships with the farmers (source: Factory visit, 2025).
- Value Capture: Gulpener beer is slightly more expensive than average due to the company paying a price premium to regional farmers rather than buying raw materials from the global market at the lowest price. Through its Gulpener Vrund network (dialect for "Gulpener friends"), a membership which costs 35 euros a year, it connects with its customers who receive a 10% discount on beer, and get invited to local festivities (like its "Hop Fest", see Gulpener, 2025) organised by the brand. The 'friends network' even supports the hop harvesting process (see Gulpener, 2025).
Strategies for degrowth/ sufficiency: The reuse of beer bottles helps slow resource flows.
Business model experimentation practices: Gulpener does joint experimentation with other companies. For example, together with the company Kervo, it is working on a steam pump to replace a gas powered kettle (see Gulpener, 2025). Longstanding collaboration with partners in the region is a way for the company to innovate and become an 'early adaptor' of energy saving technologies (see Gulpener, 2025).
Tools, methods and approaches used: Collaboration takes place through regional innovation programmes like the ERFO OPZUID project funded by the European Union (see Stimulus, 2019).
Sustainability outcomes: Sustainability outcomes can be measured for instance, based on investments in new more sustainable technologies. Overall, since 2020 when Gulpener invested in new energy saving technology, it saved 75% in its thermal energy use (Danfoss, 2025; Meura, 2025). It is working on future carbon emissions saving innovations: by replacing a gas fired kettle with a steam pump, up to 50-60% could be saved in energy use and 45% in carbon emissions (see Gulpener, 2025).
Sources:
Agnusdei, G. P., Gnoni, M. G., & Sgarbossa, F. (2022). Are deposit-refund systems effective in managing glass packaging? State of the art and future directions in Europe. Science of the Total Environment, 851, 158256.
Amienyo, D., & Azapagic, A. (2016). Life cycle environmental impacts and costs of beer production and consumption in the UK. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 21(4), 492-509.
B Lab (2025). Gulpener Bier Brouwerij. Accessed 11 September 2025 at: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/gulpener-bierbrouwerij-2021/
Conduah, J. E., Kusakana, K., Odufuwa, O. Y., Hohne, P. A., & Ma, T. (2025). Forecasting energy consumption and enhancing sustainability in microbreweries: Integrating ANN-based models with thermal storage solutions. Journal of Energy Storage, 112, 115508.
Danfoss (2025). How we decarbonize with our customers: Gulpener Brewery, Netherlands. Accessed 11 September 2025 at: https://www.danfoss.com/en/service-and-support/case-stories/cf/how-we-decarbonize-with-our-customers-gulpener-brewery-netherlands/
Entree Magazine (2025). Gulpener Brouwerij wint Koning Willem 1 Prrijs. Accessed 11 September 2025 at: https://www.entreemagazine.nl/dranken/gulpener-winnaar-kw1-duurzaam
Factory visit (2025). Gulpener beer brewery. 10 September 2025.
Gulpener (2025) ZO maken we het verschil. Accessed 11 September 2025 at: https://www.gulpener.nl/over-ons/
Meura (2025). Europe's most sustainable brewhouse, made by Meura. Accessed 11 September 2025 at: https://www.meura.com/documents/casestudy/meuranewsnewsmailgulpenerv3.pdf
Stimulus (2019). Programma OPZuid EFRO 2021-2027. Accessed 11 September 2025 at: https://www.stimulus.nl/opzuid-2021-2027/
Van Oel, P. R., Mekonnen, M. M., & Hoekstra, A. Y. (2009). The external water footprint of the Netherlands: Geographically-explicit quantification and impact assessment. Ecological Economics, 69(1), 82-92.
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About project Circular X
Project Circular X is about ‘Experimentation with Circular Service Business Models’. It is an ambitious research project funded by the European Research Council (ERC) which supports top researchers from anywhere in the world. Project CIRCULAR X runs from 2020-2026. The project is led by Principal Investigator (PI) Prof Dr Nancy Bocken, who is joined by a multidisciplinary team of researchers at Maastricht Sustainability Institute (MSI), Maastricht School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University. The project cooperates with businesses who want to innovate towards the circular economy.
Project Circular X addresses a new and urgent issue: experimentation with circular service business models (CSBMs). Examples of such new business models include companies shifting from selling products to selling services and introducing lifelong warrantees to extend product lifetimes. However, CSBMs are far from mainstream and research focused on experimentation is little understood. The research aims to conduct interdisciplinary research with 4 objectives:
- Advancing understanding of CSBMs; their emergence and impacts
- Advancing knowledge on CSBM experimentation
- Developing CSBM experimentation tools
- Designing and deploying CSBM experimentation labs
Funding source
This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, grant agreement No. 850159.
Using of this information
When you refer to this case, please use the following source:
Circular X. (2025) Case study: Gulpener - regional resource flows and creating value from "waste". Accessed from www.circularx.eu
