The Irish drinks industry has been making significant strides in mitigating carbon emissions and reducing its overall environmental impact. “Sustainability is at the heart of what the drinks industry in Ireland does and the sector prides itself on the efforts it has made to progress environmental stewardship on this island,” says Cormac Healy, director of Ibec industry body Drinks Ireland.
“Historical practices of repurposing spent grain as high-quality animal feed have led to modern innovations such as sustainable brewing and distilling methods and the development of recyclable packaging,” he adds.
Pointing to some industry achievements, he notes that Diageo Ireland has eliminated plastic ring carriers and shrink wrap from multipacks and plans to invest more than €100 million to decarbonise the St James’s Gate site by 2030.
“Heineken Ireland is accredited to the Business Working Responsibly mark and has achieved zero waste to landfill at its Cork brewery,” he continues. “Irish Distillers is investing €250 million in an expansion to create Ireland’s first and largest carbon-neutral distillery in Midleton, Co Cork. It has also set a goal for all secondary packaging to be recyclable, reusable, compostable or eliminated by 2025.”
Environmental responsibility is not only the domain of the larger producers, of course. Smaller, local distilleries are also leading the way in revolutionising their practices to have a substantial and positive impact on the environment, Healy adds.
One such local producer is the Ahascragh Distillery in Co Galway, the first zero energy emissions distillery in Ireland. The business has created 20 new jobs locally, with 70 additional jobs through supply chains in the local area and uses only renewable energy sources to power the distillery.
“We opened the distillery in July 2023,” says Ahascragh Distillery founder and managing director Gareth McAllister, who also chairs the Irish Whiskey Association sustainability committee. “We have been distilling and laying down spirit since October. We have also been marketing our own gin and whiskey brands for the past six years. The SEAI [Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland] has certified the distillery as a zero energy emissions facility. We don’t burn fossil fuels or any other fuels. We generate 30 per cent of our energy on site from solar panels on our roofs and buy in 70 per cent of it from renewable sources. A traditional distillery would install the biggest possible gas or oil boiler and build the biggest chimney possible. Need a lot of energy to distil.”
The distillery was always going to be as green as possible, he explains. “It was a 17th-century flour mill that never burnt fuel. It has two water wheels and was hydro powered. We have restored one of the wheels but can’t generate electric power from it as yet. We need approval for a hydro scheme to do that.”
The secret to the zero emissions status is the fact that, unlike traditional distilleries, it doesn’t use steam. “We use hot water. There are three parts to the process. The first is very high temperature heat-pump technology that heats water to 115 degrees Celsius. The second is a heat-recovery system and the third is energy storage. In traditional distilling the heat in the steam is wasted in the cooling tower. In our system we recover the heat and recycle it back into the system. We are the first distillery in Ireland to use heat-pump technology, if not the first in Europe.”
The motivation to build a sustainable business came from the background and values of McAllister and his co-founder, his wife Michelle. “I had worked in the electric vehicle industry in Asia for 10 years. While there I had seen how the environment has been damaged through poor decisions. We are both very passionate about sustainability. We have two grandsons, and we hope they can lead the same sort of life we have.”
Healy points out that there is a long tradition of knowledge sharing in the Irish drinks industry. “They share knowledge on sustainability not just on energy but in water, wood, packaging, and grain as well,” he says. “Our Pride of Place policy for growth in the industry to 2030 is a reflection of the pride our members take in what they produce, the jobs they are creating, the communities they are supporting, and their contribution to emissions reductions. Our members have operations in every county in Ireland and are selling products in 120 markets around the world.
“The sector already has very good sustainability credentials, but we know we have to do more,” he concludes. “Continued progress requires enhanced Government support and strategic policy implementation to ensure a sustainable and thriving future for the sector. As we move away from fossil fuels, the Government has to be there to support us. If you are retrofitting your home, you get support. If a company is retrofitting a manufacturing business or investing in other sustainability measures, it needs support to speed up the transition.”