Sustainability
Great beer shouldn't cost the ground it's brewed on. Here is how we think about packaging, returns, and footprint — including the parts we haven't solved yet.
Aluminium cans, on purpose
Our 500ml cans are aluminium — one of the few packaging materials that recycles indefinitely without losing quality. In India, aluminium has real scrap value, which means cans actually get collected and recycled rather than landfilled.
Cans are also lighter than glass and pack tighter, so every delivery van carries more beer and less packaging weight. They chill faster too, which saves fridge energy at bars and at home.
Why cans, not glass
We package exclusively in 500ml aluminium cans. Cans are lighter than glass, so they burn less fuel per litre delivered; they chill faster, they don’t shatter, and aluminium is one of the few materials that recycles in a true closed loop.
Rinse your empties and put them in the dry-waste stream — a recycled can is typically back on a shelf within about 60 days.
Where it comes from
SOMA was founded in Bangalore, India, and Bangalore is where we will launch and deliver first. We are not going to claim a local-brewing footprint we cannot stand behind: our first production runs with a partner, and where each batch is made will be printed on the can.
Beer is mostly water, so moving it is where the hidden footprint in this business sits. As we open new cities our model is to expand distribution hubs rather than truck every can out of one place, and once we run our own production we will publish the numbers here.
Where we're honest about the gaps
We're a young company and we won't greenwash. We don't yet run on renewable energy, we haven't done a certified carbon audit, and our ingredient supply chain is still conventional. As we grow, those are the next problems on the list — and we'll report progress here, not just promises.
Got ideas, or want to partner on collection and reuse? Write to us at getsoma.store@gmail.com.
See also: Terms & Conditions and nutrition facts.