Japanese Company Turns Beer Waste

Into Paper
Exercise 1

Vocabulary

come up with (phrasal Verb) - to produce an answer, idea, suggestion, etc.

We need to come up with a catchy slogan for our new marketing campaign.

crafty (adjective) - clever, often in a slightly dishonest way

Adam came up with a crafty plan to surprise his wife with a romantic trip to Paris.

brewery (noun) - a company or factory that makes beer

The world's oldest brewery, located in Germany, has been making beer for over 1,000
years.

pulp (noun) - crushed wood or plant material that is used to make paper

The quality of the paper depends on the quality of the pulp used in its production.

base (verb) - to have as the main place for working, doing business, etc.

I'm originally from Sweden, but I've been based in New York City for the past two years.

acquaintance (noun) - a person one knows but is not very close with

I bumped into an old acquaintance from college on my way to work today.

Exercise 2

Article

Japanese Company Turns Beer Waste Into Paper

A Japanese company has come up with a crafty way to make new paper — by recycling
the waste created when making craft beer.

The company, called Kitafuku, makes its paper with malt lees — a waste product created
when beer is made.

Some breweries can produce up to 2,000 kilograms of malt lees a month. And while malt
lees can be used again — for example, for feeding animals — a lot is thrown away, which
can be expensive.
But Kitafuku has a solution — it takes malt lees from breweries for free and mixes it
with the pulp of recycled paper, to make "craft beer paper." This paper is strong, with a
light beer color, and you can see the lees in it here and there.

Kitafuku is based in Yokohama, a city which is believed to be the birthplace of Japanese

beer. Japan's first beer brewery opened here in 1869, and today there are many craft
beer breweries in the Yokohama area.

According to Kyodo News, the idea to make paper from beer waste came after a local
brewer, who was worried about the amount of malt lees waste being produced, asked
Kitafuku for advice.

Shoki Matsuzaka, one of Kitafuku's founders, said it made him think of an acquaintance
who was making paper from recycled materials.

Kitafuku started selling its paper in 2021, and has collected around 1,500 kilograms of
malt lees from eight different breweries so far.

Because Kitafuku's paper is strong, it can be used to make menus, postcards, business
cards, coasters and gift boxes.

Exercise 3

Questions

What does Kitafuku's craft beer paper look like?

What inspired Kitafuku to start making paper from beer waste?

How much malt lees has Kitafuku collected so far?

Exercise 4

Discussion

What are your thoughts on Kitafuku's paper made from beer waste?

Do you like craft beer? If so, what's your favorite type?

Have you ever taken a tour of a brewery? If so, please share your experience.

Would you be interested in learning how to brew your own beer at home?

What was the first alcoholic drink you tried? Did you like the taste?

Do you know of any other businesses that reuse their waste in a creative way?

Do you often buy secondhand or recycled goods? Why? Why not?

How much of the waste from your household gets recycled?

Do you know anyone who isn't concerned about the environment?

If it can’t be reused... recycled, or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or

removed from production. — Pete Seeger. Do you agree?