As sweet Irish rain quenches emerald land, it bears for us barley from nature’s pure hand...

Brewing is a resource intense process that lends itself naturally to becoming more sustainable. Irish brewers are innovative and have analysed their processes from production to packaging to keep them at the forefront of sustainable businesses.

The story of sustainability in the sector is not a new one, Ireland’s drinks producers have always been at the forefront when it comes to sustainable business practices.

• For centuries spent grain, a by-product of brewing and distilling, has been provided to farmers as a high-quality animal feed
• Heineken Ireland have achieved ZERO waste to landfill for their brewery in Cork
• Diageo Ireland have removed plastic ring carriers and shrink wrap from multipacks of products, replacing them with 100% recyclable and biodegradable cardboard
• Heineken Ireland achieved the Business Working Responsibly mark, developed by Business in the Community Ireland
• Midleton Distillery in Cork is accredited to the international environmental management standard, ISO14001
• Recent developments in packaging for beer has seen producers using non-toxic glue as an adhesive for caned beer packs instead of using plastic rings