• Excellence in Waste Management Award,

• Sustainable Energy Achievement Award, and

• Sustainable Water Achievement Award. 

The Green Awards celebrate remarkable sustainability efforts by Irish businesses and spotlight companies excelling in environmental stewardship.

These nominations highlight our continued focus on reducing our environmental impact and showcase our leadership in sustainable practices within the drinks industry, covering initiatives including the Tank Farms, our lightweight can programme, 2GoCup, our Solar Array Project, and the installation of our 1 MWh high pressure and temperature heat pump.

Sustainability is central to Bulmers in Clonmel, with water stewardship a key priority. Our proactive water management includes well water level monitoring, supplier engagement, and process optimisation. Innovations like Cleaning-in-Progress (CIP) systems have saved 1.38 million litres annually. Future plans include rainwater harvesting and water recycling to minimise freshwater use. By 2030, we aim to cut water use per unit of production, working towards water neutrality by 2050.

Once again, we have achieved our target of sending zero waste to landfill, and are committed to a circular economy. By-products like spent grain and apple pomace are repurposed for animal feed, with the rest recycled or used for energy. Initiatives such as lightweight cans, plastic elimination, and sustainable packaging have removed 600 tonnes of plastic and 200 tonnes of aluminium. We collaborate with BioDirect to innovate in waste reduction and work with waste haulers to cut emissions. Employee engagement, deposit return schemes, and reusable coffee cups have supported our goal of maximising resource efficiency by 2030.

Clonmel electricity is powered entirely by renewable energy, which generates 1.13MWh annually and cuts CO₂ emissions by 290 tonnes per year. This is further supported by a €1M heat pump investment which recycles waste heat and has reduced our natural gas use by 1,882 tonnes of CO₂ annually, saving up to €120K in energy costs. Our Science-Based Targets aim for a 35% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions and 25% in Scope 3 by 2030, with 67% of suppliers aligning by 2026. Future plans include expanding heat recovery, shifting to biomethane, increasing solar capacity, and upgrading to LED lighting, ensuring long-term sustainability.

Huge shoutout to Shane Kennedy, our environmental engineer based in Clonmel, who led the co-ordination of our Bulmers award submissions, highlighting the great sustainability progress that has been made at Clonmel in recent years.

Congratulations to the entire Bulmers team! Winners will be announced later this month at the Green Awards 2025 ceremony in Dublin.