What have the key sustainability initiatives been?

Becominga B Corp Boatyard

The businesslaunched a Green Team called ‘Better Boatyard’in 2022 with the taskof improvingthe overall sustainabilityand governance of the business.Through the Better BoatyardJourney, the businessbroughtin many changes across itsprocesses. In 2023, BoatyardDistillery became the firstdistillery on the islandof Ireland to gain the prestigiousB Corp Certification. This is an internationaland coveted designation thata businessis meeting high standardsofverified performance,accountability,and transparencyon factors fromemployee benefits andcharitable giving to supplychain practices andinput materials.

“OurjourneytoBCorpstatusbroughtaboutamindsetshiftinthe businessandinspiredtheteamtoconstantlyimproveontheir practices.Everyonehaschangedinthebusiness.Theirwayof thinkinghaschanged.Theideasareflowingnow”Joe

McGirr, BoatyardDistillery

A CircularDistillery

BoatyardDistillery has created a culture within the businessof repurposingand reusingitems to combat waste.Here are some of the practices in place:

• Bottles are made fromrecycled flint glass

• Bottle labels are madefromrecycled paper andproduced by James Cropper a leading businessin circulardesign for fibre recovery

• Shipping cartonsare madefromrecycled pulp

• Pallet wrapis madeof recycled pallet wrap

• Businesscards are madeof recycled Costa Coffee cups

• Promotionalgiftbags are made of recycled Kraft card

• Some gin fruit is sent to local cocktailbars for their drinks

• Other fruit fromgin productiongoes to an Indianchutney producer andothers madeinto a new Boatyard marmalade

• Botanicals created fromgin production are used as a signatureingredient in the BoatyardBean to barchocolate

• Sloes fromgin production are used to produce a Sloe boat conserve

• Remainder of solid wastegoes to compostingandliquid wastegoes to anaerobicdigesters which give electric back into the grid

• Old Tom barrels are repurposed to makefurniture

• Spent grain fromvodka productionis sent to the family farmand usedto feed animals.

Waste ReductionInnovation – Refillable Gin

By takingawayglassbottles fromvisitoroperationsat the distillery andoffering an eco-refill pouch for locals to refill, while availingof a £10 discount,within three monthsthe Boatyardsaved:

• 211 glassbottles andpackaging

• 2% of distillery-based packagingin total

• up to 380kgof Carbon

Glass bottles are57% liquid and43% packagingwhereas the eco-refill pouches are98% liquid. Eco refill pouches can be sent back via FreePost to the distillery and refilled. In addition,all bottles are shipped with minimalrecycled packagingthrough the useof HexiFlex

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