From surplus beer stocks to hand sanitizer for healthcare institutions
The beer stocks we collected from our entrepreneurs, originally intended for delivery to the hospitality sector, have been sustainably repurposed. The alcohol from this beer has been utilized to produce disinfecting hand sanitizer in compliance with the guidelines of the World Health Organization. We are now distributing this hand sanitizer free of charge to healthcare institutions that need it the most.
Collaboration with Partners
In the first week of April, the entire production of hand sanitizer took place at our brewery in Lieshout. We produced the hand sanitizer in-house, filled it into bottles ourselves, and delivered it to healthcare institutions. Soon, the demand from healthcare institutions became so significant that scaling up production became necessary. This could only be achieved by collaborating with partners who assist us in producing and distributing the hand sanitizer. We sincerely thank Duko Grafimedia for the labels, IFF for the production and filling of the hand sanitizer, and King Netherlands and Van den Heuvel Logistics for distribution. These partners selflessly contribute to supporting this project.
Hand Sanitizer Production Process
To create hand sanitizer from beer, the alcohol is first distilled from the beer. For alcohol distillation, we use the brewing installation typically used for producing alcohol-free beer. We made some modifications to the installation to carry out this process. The distilled alcohol is concentrated to 80%. Subsequently, hydrogen peroxide and glycerin are added to make the substance spreadable and reduce hand dryness. With 15 liters of pils, we can produce 1 liter of hand sanitizer. We have already delivered approximately 25,000 liters of hand sanitizer to healthcare institutions and are exploring ways to increase this quantity based on demand.
The alcohol-free beer remaining after distilling the alcohol is repurposed as animal feed. This ensures the sustainability of fully reusing beer stocks.
Download visual materials related to our hand sanitizer here.
Safety Data Sheet for Hand Sanitizer
We have prepared a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the hand sanitizer. This is a safety information sheet that includes details about the exact substances in the hand sanitizer and the personal protective equipment that should be used when handling the substance. Download the MSDS sheet here.