Trade association The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States is looking to encourage the sharing of sustainability best practices among the country's craft spirits companies. The 'Craft Distiller Sustainability Taskforce', announced this week, has been set up to "collaborate and share effective strategies for maximising resource utilisation and eliminating waste at every step of the production process". The group will be represented at meetings of DISCUS's 'Sustainability Committee' and will report back to its members. “The distilled spirits industry remains deeply invested in protecting our environmental and natural resources,” said CEO Chris Swonger. “This new taskforce will exchange ideas and share best practices on preserving the water craft distillers use to produce their wonderful spirits, finding more efficient ways to use energy and identifying alternative uses for byproducts.” Following the inaugural meeting of the taskforce at the end of February, the next meeting is scheduled for 8 June, during DISCUS's annual conference in New Orleans. Earlier this year, DISCUS appointed Andrew O’Neil as its international trade policy manager. O’Neil will be responsible for identifying and tackling regulatory hurdles impacting US spirit exports. Why e-commerce is a channel brand owners must target - and fast - Click here for a Just Drinks focus