A brewery might be one of the last places you would think of looking for a leader in green initiatives. Even more so a brewery on a small island. Yet at Cayman Islands Brewery, the home of Caybrew, there are more environmental initiatives ongoing than one might find many other companies put together.

Even more amazing is that it is a message beer drinkers have apparently been taking to heart as well if one is to judge by the response to the bottle and can recycling initiatives at the company.

At present the company recycles Caybrew, CayLight and Becks bottles, with an extensive set of machinery to wash and sanitise the bottles for refilling with Caybrew or CayLight.

Even for those who are not likely to recycle bottles because they really want to help the environment, the credit per returned case is certainly an incentive.

Yet recycling the bottles is only part of the story.

Wherever possible the brewery has also taken to sending out bottles in reusable crates, thereby dramatically reducing the numbers of boxes being sent to the dump while also making returning bottles more convenient.

A number of green initiatives are also in place during the production process. The brewery has its own wastewater treatment facility which ensures that the water that leaves the facility after the brewing process will not have a negative impact on the environment. Even the spent grains that are left over after the brewing process are put to good use.

With plenty of fibre as well as protein and energy left in the grains, these are available for free to local farmers who can then use it as cattle feed. According to the brewery, the demand for these spent grains is outstripping supply. However, according to James Mansfield, commercial manager at the brewery, the answer is simple - drink more beer.

Even though the brewery has already done more than most when it comes to going green, James says the company is constantly investigating new ways to take its commitment to the environment to a new level.

According to James, the process has made a lot of sense for the company thus far, with the goodwill created in the community as a very useful side effect of the project. However, it is based on the same approach the company follows in the creation of its beer - if it is worth doing, it is worth doing well.   WH