June 13, 2008 - Miller Brewing Company has diverted 2.5 million pounds of packaging waste from landfill over the past five years for an overall recycling rate of 99.9%, according to the company's latest sustainability report.

Like Miller's first-ever sustainability report, released last October, this year's edition emphasizes environmental performance goals per unit of product. In 2006, the company reported a 10% cut in greenhouse gas emissions per barrel of beer. In 2007, Miller reports that it has reduced the amount of water it uses for beer production to a ratio of less than 4:1, a goal originally set for 2010.

The company is working to green up its production facilities as well. Miller is using brewery wastewater to generate biogas to power its Irwindale, Calif., facility. It switched to energy-efficient fluorescent lights in all six of its breweries within the past year.

New to this year's report are a series of commentaries from experts in the fields of alcohol responsibility, water conservation, AIDS and HIV, and corporate social investment. Miller has also begun tracking its sustainability efforts against the principles set out by the United Nations Global Compact.

Download the report here (PDF).