Environmental action
TWO INDUSTRY LEADERS DOING THEIR PART
Indie Hops & PakTech.
Two like-minded, Oregon-based companies taking action to help ensure a more livable future. Indie Hops breeds new hop varieties that are better able to withstand the challenges of our changing climate. PakTech is a leader in sustainable secondary packaging.
DR. SHAUN TOWNSEND
Breeding for the future
“The reason I went into agricultural research is that I wanted to lower our environmental footprint, and plant breeding is an ideal way to do that. The idea is to produce plants that are extremely tolerant of the diseases, pathogens, and other abiotic stresses like problems with heat and less water availability. So we’ve already started addressing some of these factors in the breeding program — looking forward to future-proofing our hops,” states Dr. Shaun Townsend the plant breeder and geneticist who heads up breeding efforts for Indie Hops.
Strata, Indie’s flagship variety, has already proven to be a success in this area. “Strata is one of our easier varieties to grow,” states Erica Lorentz, co-owner of Lakeside Ranches and a grower for Indie Hops. “It doesn’t seem to have the same susceptibility to disease and does fantastic in our Willamette valley soils!” Strata grower Gayle Goschie adds, “Strata is a hop I look to when I think about sustainability. It is resistant to diseases, it’s resistant to insect impacts and it has a root system that really helps it efficiently provide nutrients and water to the plant. We’re finding that’s so important now that our climate is changing.”
Watch this short video to learn more from Goschie, and Theo Freyne, owner of DEYA Brewing Company.
In addition to breeding hops for a sustainable future, most hops sourced from Indie Hops are certified Salmon-Safe — a vital effort to maintain watershed health and restore habitat. Learn more.
SMART. SUSTAINABLE. SIMPLE.
PakTech handles close the loop
PakTech is a leader in sustainable secondary packaging. Their products meet the highest global standards for recyclability. Their handles/can carriers, made exclusively from recycled HDPE plastic, are easily sortable and widely accepted by recycling programs across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia. With recognition from the Association of Plastic Recyclers, PakTech handles are fully recyclable, embodying the principles of a circular economy.
RECYCLED. REFORMED. RECYCLED AGAIN.
✅ Made exclusively with Recycled HDPE: HDPE is one of the most commonly recycled plastics, second only to PET, and can be combined with HDPE bottles in recycling systems.
✅ APR Recognition: The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) has recognized PakTech products for meeting the highest standards of recyclability based on the APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability.
✅ Sortability and Recovery Rate: 2D/3D sortability testing, following APR protocols, showed an average 98% recovery rate, earning the material APR Design® Preferred status.
✅ Bio-Derived Alternative Black Recyclable Color: The bio-derived alternative black color is detectable by NIR technology in today’s material recovery facilities, with an average 96% recovery rate, as verified by the APR’s recommended testing methods.
Learn more about PakTech solutions for your brewery.
“At the end of the day, we’re just trying to make the world a better place to drink beer in.”
/ JIM SOLBERG, CO-FOUNDER & CEO @ INDIE HOPS