The Spirit of Sustainability

Our Sustainability Mission

At Crater Lake Spirits, we believe that the Spirit of Adventure is one worth preserving. We are dedicated to supporting sustainability in every aspect of our business; from the materials we buy to how we handle waste, our goal is to minimize our impact on the planet and help you do the same. 

Rye field with irrigation water. Mountains and trees in the background, blue sky with clouds.

The Spirit of Sustainability

Anyone can create a quick and dirty spirit. Luckily, we’re not just anyone. At Crater Lake Spirits, we know that our intense commitment to quality, taste, and sustainable practices means we’re not going to be everybody’s top choice. And that’s ok.

We’re here for the spirit enthusiasts who care about what they’re drinking, how it’s made, and its impact on the planet. By purchasing Crater Lake Spirits, it shows that you share our goal of doing right by our employees, our community, and our shared future. 

Our Sustainability Initiatives

We’ve got lofty sustainability goals because big change only comes through significant effort. We’re focusing our efforts on three primary areas: our materials, our facilities, and our community.

our screen printed glass bottles being filled with Sweet Ginger vodka as part of our sustainability mission

Sustainable Materials

Our sustainability mission starts with the packaging and materials we use daily. From the bottles and labels to our shipping materials and merch, we’re taking steps to reduce our environmental impact in a few different ways. 

 Our Bottles

  • By replacing film/plastic labels and switching to screen printing with 100% vegetable-based ink, we’ve made almost all of our 750ml, 1L, and 1.75L bottles 100% recyclable – plus, there’s the added benefit of not using petroleum-based ink or paint
  • All of our glass contains at least 30% recycled materials
  • Our plastic 50ml bottles contain at least 25% recycled materials

Our Packaging

  • Our bottle cases are 100% recyclable and made with at least 90% recycled materials
  • Shipping boxes are packed with starch packing peanuts that dissolve
  • 100% of our cardboard is recyclable and contains a majority of post-consumer material
  • We process our scrap cardboard into additional packing material for shipments

Our Tasting Rooms

  • Our Spirit logo clothing is sourced from AllMade. Each AllMade t-shirt is made with recycled plastic, and prevents up to 6 plastic bottles from going into the ocean
  • Over 50% of our merchandise in our Tasting Rooms is sourced from the west coast, supporting local businesses and reducing our carbon footprint
  • Digital menus are available and encouraged at both tasting rooms; for those who prefer a paper copy, all of our menus are printed on at least 90% recycled materials
  • Paper straws in the tasting rooms reduce plastic waste
  • Recycling all of our scrap glass, cardboard, and paper in our tasting rooms

Resource-Efficient Facilities

To uphold our sustainability mission, we’re taking steps to conserve natural resources, reduce waste, and make sustainability a practice, not just a promise.

 

Water

  • We never dump caustic or chemical wastewater down the drain. Instead, we use collection tanks to store it until we can properly dispose of it because we know clean groundwater is a precious resource
  • We use a glycol chiller closed-loop cooling system in our still room, so we’re not sending clean water down the drain. This closed-loop system saves approximately 500 gallons of water every day

Energy

  • We’ve been using low energy lighting (LED) in all of our buildings for years. LEDs use up to 90% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs
  • Skylights in our barrel and glass buildings maximize natural light and reduce our reliance on electricity. In fact, there’s no power in the glass building at all!
  • We’re transitioning towards battery-powered forklifts, which allows us to employ solar and wind power rather than fossil fuels. Not only are they better for the environment, but they’re better for our employees since they’re not breathing fumes all-day

Practices

  • Onsite compost of our ingredients returns nutrients to the soil in our vegetable garden
  • Sustainable farming practices in our fields conserve resources and respect the environment
  • Vegetables grown on site and eggs from our chickens are given to employees to take home and enjoy
  • All of our production garbage bags are manufactured from at least 70% recycled industrial scrap
  • Spent grain from our whiskey production goes to a local ranch for feed
Crater-Lake-Spirits-sustainable-bottle

Community That Cares

We know that change doesn’t happen in a vacuum: it takes all of us pulling together to make a difference. That’s why we encourage support for our sustainability mission at every touchpoint, from our partnerships to our reduce-reuse-recycle programs. 

By being a part of our community, you can do your part to make our world better. Check out how we’re helping below, and let us know if you want to be involved in helping support our Spirit of Sustainability. 

Our community sustainability measures include: 

  • Reusing returned packing materials from employees or customers in our shipping facility
  • Giving employees 24 paid volunteer hours each year
  • Roadside cleanups twice a year
  • A lengthy record of donating to environmental causes
  • Sourcing local and domestic products for our gift shop