HEINEKEN announces 'Every Drop' water ambition for 2030
19 Marzo 2019 - 03:00PM
Amsterdam, 19 March 2019 - HEINEKEN today
announced its 2030 water vision in support of United Nations
Sustainable Development Goal 6, dedicated to water protection.
"The world needs to pay more attention to water,"
said Jean-François van Boxmeer, Chairman of the Executive Board/CEO
of HEINEKEN. "Water is a precious, but unfortunately undervalued,
resource. By 2025, two thirds of the global population could be
living in water-stressed conditions[1]. We need to
do more to protect water so communities living in water-stressed
areas can continue to thrive."
HEINEKEN is committed to water protection. Water
is important to HEINEKEN as beer is 95% water and great beer
requires high quality water. That is why over the past decade the
company has lowered its water usage by almost a third from 5
hectolitres of water per hectolitre of beer, and has already
surpassed its original 2020 target.
Under HEINEKEN's 'Every Drop' water ambition for
2030, the Dutch brewer commits:
-
To fully balance within the local watershed,
every litre of water used in our products in areas that are water
stressed. The brewer also commits to work collaboratively with
other users of the watershed so that its health is protected, which
is essential for the communities around it to thrive.
-
To maximise water circularity in water stressed
areas through recovery, reuse and recycling and to treat 100% of
our wastewater worldwide.
-
To reduce water usage to an average of 2.8
hectolitres of water per hectolitre of beer (from 3.2 hl/hl) for
breweries in water stressed areas and to 3.2 hectolitres of water
per hectolitre of beer (from 3.5 hl/hl) on average for all
breweries worldwide.
Going forward, the company feels that mostly
focusing on lowering water usage will not be enough. To keep a
watershed healthy and communities thriving, users of a watershed
should focus more on replenishing the water they use. This can be
done by investing more time and effort on activities like
reforestation, landscape restoration, desalination and water
capture and by working closely with other water users in the
protection of this shared asset.
Today, of the 170 breweries the company operates
around the world, 26 are in water-stressed areas. Over the last
decade, the company has learned that protecting water resources
requires a highly contextual approach to the specific watershed in
question. That is why to fulfil this ambition, HEINEKEN is
developing individual targets for each brewery in water-stressed
areas and prioritising the most relevant actions for each local
watershed.
To realise this vision, HEINEKEN has developed a
water triangle which comprises the three key focus areas the
company will undertake for each brewery in a water stressed area.
These areas need to be considered holistically with the aim of
having the highest impact on the health of the watershed and the
communities around it.
While the company will continue to focus on lowering its usage of
water by improving water efficiency in its operations, greater
focus will be placed on water circularity (the reuse and recovery
of water), and water replenishment and collaboration.
While there is much work ahead to fulfil its
vision, HEINEKEN can build on experiences acquired in the last
decade. Today HEINEKEN is already undertaking water-balancing
programmes in several water stressed areas across the world. For
instance in Spain, 1 billion litres of water are restored yearly
through a wetland restoration program in Doñana, in southern Spain.
In Malaysia, the company is investing in rainwater harvesting
projects that will help communities save water. In Indonesia,
HEINEKEN works with employees and communities to install 'biopori'
holes: narrow, meter-deep pits dug into the soil and filled with
vegetable scraps and compost material. By slowing rainwater runoff,
biopori holes preserve water and prevent flooding.
Over the years, HEINEKEN has also learnt the
importance of collaboration. As many users tap into shared
resources, maintaining the health of a watershed also has to be a
shared effort. In Mexico, through the Monterrey Water Fund, the
company is working collaboratively with others in reforestation.
Newly planted trees have absorbed more than 450 million litres of
water; helping to mitigate flooding and improve water infiltration.
In Indonesia, as a consequence of working alongside the United
Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), HEINEKEN is
part of a water alliance ('Aliansi Air'), in which government,
businesses, NGOs and local community groups work together on water
conservation and pollution reduction in the Brantas river
basin.
Today HEINEKEN already treats 96.5% of its
wastewater worldwide, returning it clean to the environment. The
company aims to go one step further by increasingly reusing treated
wastewater in its own operations and sharing treated water with
other users.
In addition, as most of HEINEKEN's water footprint
comes from agriculture, it will initiate a number of pilot projects
in areas which depend on irrigation in order to grow more barley
with less water. The brewer will also be working with farmers to
improve farming practices and test seed varieties that are more
drought tolerant and disease resistant.
HEINEKEN has been a signatory of the UN CEO Water
Mandate since 2009 and is an active member of the Beverage Industry
and Environmental Roundtable.
ENDS
Press
enquiries
David Pugh
E-mail: David.Pugh@Heineken.com
Tel: +31-20-5239-355
Editorial
information
HEINEKEN is the world's most international brewer. It is the
leading developer and marketer of premium beer and cider brands.
Led by the Heineken® brand, the Group has a portfolio of more than
300 international, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders.
We are committed to innovation, long-term brand investment,
disciplined sales execution and focused cost management. Through
"Brewing a Better World", sustainability is embedded in the
business. HEINEKEN has a well-balanced geographic footprint with
leadership positions in both developed and developing markets. We
employ over 85,000 employees and operate breweries, malteries,
cider plants and other production facilities in more than 70
countries. Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares trade on
the Euronext in Amsterdam. Prices for the ordinary shares may be
accessed on Bloomberg under the symbols HEIA NA and HEIO NA and on
Reuters under HEIN.AS and HEIO.AS. HEINEKEN has two sponsored level
1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programmes: Heineken N.V.
(OTCQX: HEINY) and Heineken Holding N.V. (OTCQX: HKHHY). Most
recent information is available on HEINEKEN's website:
www.theHEINEKENcompany.com and follow us on Twitter via
@HEINEKENCorp.
[1] FAO Report:
http://www.fao.org/3/a-aq444e.pdf
HEINEKEN announces 'Every Drop'
water ambition for 2030
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Source: HEINEKEN NV via Globenewswire
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