PREMIUM DRINKS
WEST CORK DISTILLERS
West Cork Distillers is the largest, wholly Irish-owned distillery in Ireland. Childhood friends John, Ger and Denis began operating West Cork Distillery in a room at the back of Denis’ house in Unionhall, Co. Cork. From two small stills, bought off a schnapps producer in Switzerland, to their own distillery in Skibbereen, the business has continued to flourish since its inception in 2003. Through commitment, perseverance and long-standing relationships with their local community, West Cork Distillers now have distributors across the globe and the award-winning West Cork Irish Whiskey is sold in almost 70 countries.
SUSTAINABILITY PURPOSE
West Cork Distillers strongly believes it is their responsibility to address climate change as a unified community. It's leading the charge towards more sustainable production in all aspects of the alcohol industry, not only in West Cork but in Ireland as a whole. It hopes its efforts will inspire other leading businesses in the sector to step up to the challenge and embrace sustainability too.
Established
2003
First certified
2023
Headquarters
Skibbereen, Co. Cork, Ireland
Employees
40
Categories
Whiskey
Website
Distribution
Worldwide
A WORD FROM THE CEO
We were delighted to gain certification for the Positive Luxury Sustainability initiative because it's a testament to our unwavering commitment to creating a better world. This recognition affirms that our dedication to environmental and social responsibility is not just a promise, but a purpose-driven journey towards a sustainable future for all.
JOHN O’ CONNELL
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
BUTTERFLY MARK TESTIMONIAL
West Cork Distillers chose to undergo ESG+ certification to provide a clear and transparent insight into our dedication to responsible operations and the environment for our customers. The certification process has already identified opportunities for improvement and development and we hope that our certification will be at the center of our innovation, continuous improvement and long-term success going forward.
Case study
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
West Cork Distillers highly prioritises recyclability and waste management in its packaging. Since January 2022, the largest Irish premium drinks brand has been an active certified participant in Repak Limited, an approved body in accordance with the European Union Packaging Regulations. West Cork Distillers also works closely with a regional waste disposal collector, KWD Recycling, to dispose of glass and other packaging materials for reuse. Waste from the production processes at the distilleries is also dispersed to an operator, Timoleague AgriGen, that converts agricultural-based waste into biogas, renewable electricity and nutrient-rich fertilizer. With over three quarters of recyclable finished products, West Cork Distillers’ circular product development accounts for functional performance and biomimicry, which refers to the inspiration that the company takes from nature to solve business and societal challenges of managing and repurposing waste.
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PEOPLE MANAGEMENT
The West Cork Distillers Employee Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the roles, responsibilities, and policies that pertain to the more than 120 company employees. In addition to providing training on the employee handbook itself, team leaders are trained to both understand and apply employment legislation, internal policies and procedures, the grievance process, performance evaluations, conflict resolution, and addressing discrimination, among other workplace issues. An internship programme in partnership with University College Cork continues to encourage students to either build directly on their food/nutritional science studies in work placements or to even possibly end up becoming employees themselves. Detailed onboarding and performance reviews, which include social and environmental goals, apply to everyone working at West Cork Distillers. An annual employee survey also reinforces a company culture that prioritises regular feedback to enable organisational change. In 2023, 90% of employees indicated they were proud to be working for the company.
Case study
SDGs ALIGNMENT
West Cork Distillers demonstrates a resolute commitment to three of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The company’s contributions to the SDGs put in practice its Origin Green certification, which accredits sustainability targets and practices that are being rolled out with Irish farmers and others in the value chain. West Cork Distillers actively engages with local organisations, including employee-led initiatives, to foster skills training and health and safety protocols. This focus on promoting sustainable economic growth (SDG 8) is complemented by building resilient infrastructure and fostering innovation (SDG 9) through new investments such as solar panelling and establishing a company sustainability committee by 2024. To ensure sustainable production and consumption (SDG 12), the Irish premium drinks market leader aims to have 100% recyclable, compostable, or reusable packaging by 2030. In the same timeframe, West Cork Distillers is working towards replenishing 70% of overall water consumption at production sites and reducing CO2 emissions by 50%.
WHERE NEXT?
West Cork Distillers are focusing on a number of sustainability measures currently. Conservation and reduction is at the heart of all of our current initiatives. Water, Electricity, Heat and Packaging are to name a few of the areas that we are focusing on. Working in tandem with this there is a large body of work currently being undertaken on increasing our renewable energy sources which is an exciting opportunity.