David Heron, quality control manager, walks through a warehouse of canned beverages Monday at Humm Kombucha in Bend.

Bend beverage maker Humm Kombucha said it is ramping up its production of canned beverages in order to decrease its environmental footprint.

Humm, which is privately held, said this year 15% to 20% of its beverages will be sold in cans. Just three years ago the company had no canned sales and products were only available in glass bottles.

Known for its whimsical labels and fruity drink varieties, Humm is shifting toward cans because they have a smaller environmental impact compared to bottles, said co-founder Michelle Mitchell. They are also easier to take on trips or carry in a daypack, she added.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 40% of glass bottles were recycled compared to 50% of aluminum cans in 2018. By shifting to aluminum, said Mitchell, more of the containers will be recycled.

A second factor is related to shipping, said Mitchell.

Because aluminum cans weigh less and take up less space compared to bottles, Humm can fit more of them in a delivery truck. Almost twice as many cans than bottles can fit on each pallet, said Mitchell.

“We can fill the trucks fuller, which requires fewer trucks needed,” said Mitchell.

Fewer trucks, of course, mean less fuel used.

“We’ve invested significantly in our canning process and equipment in order to give consumers the option to purchase in cans,” said Mitchell.

Chad Centola, interim director for the Deschutes County Department of Solid Waste, said the can vs. bottle debate is not completely straightforward, but overall aluminum is better for the environment compared to glass.

“Over a number of cycles of recycling, aluminum would win out overall with the impact savings realized through recycling,” he said.

Manufacturing aluminum cans has a higher environmental impact compared to glass, considering the mining, smelting, and manufacturing process, said Centola. But that changes with recycling.

“The scale tips the other way when you look at the recycling of a container,” said Centola. “Making an aluminum can from old aluminum cans takes less energy to accomplish when compared with that of glass.”

David Heron, quality control manager at the Humm plant in Bend, said canning is ramping up, with production now five days a week, compared to just three days a week for bottled Humm.

Inside the manufacturing area of the plant Monday, Heron was showing off the company’s can assembly line. Half a dozen workers were busy checking the machinery, packing the finished cans into boxes, and moving the pallets full of product with a forklift. The machine seals up 100 cans a minute.

“This is our ‘Laverne & Shirley’ area,” said Heron, who has worked with Humm for five years, referring to the 1970s sitcom in which the title characters worked in a beer bottling line.

The workers pack around 18 to 20 pallets a day. The amount of kombucha produced depends on demand and orders, but typically Humm produces 120 to 240 barrels of kombucha a day, with 31 gallons per barrel.

Mitchell said she may increase the percentage of Humm’s canned drinks based on consumer demand.

“We decided to put kombucha in cans not only because it was better for the environment, but because consumers were asking for it,” said Mitchell. “Cans are more versatile, easy to pack, and our customers care about environmental impacts.”