A strategic natural resource Throughout its existence Heineken has always been thoroughly aware of the impor tance of clean water. The brewing of beer requires barley, hops and yeast-and suffi cient water of an excellent quality. The availability of this water is a prerequisite for the continuity and further growth of our Company. Moreover, as a corporate citizen, we bear the responsibility for the conscientious and efficient use of water, a responsi bility which includes the reduction of water consumption and the treatment of waste water. In order to act in accordance with our responsibilities we have laid down the principles governing the use of water in a statement (the Heineken Water Policy Statement), we have specified objectives and have drawn up a plan for the systematic monitoring and evaluation of our water policy. The Heineken Water Policy Statement On 20 October 1999, this statement was issued by the Director Corporate Production Policy Control. The content of this statement is consistent with the principles laid down in the Heineken Company Environmental Policy Statement. We measure the quality and the availability of water. These measurements are conse quently used in the verification and, where necessary, modification of our policy, thus ensuring a sustainable balance with both the natural surroundings of all our sources and other users of water. A further important element in our water management programme is the specifica tion of target figures for the quantity of water to be used in the production process and of the wastewater to be discharged. A comparative study of our individual brewe ries all over the world revealed that the specific consumption of water varies between 4 and 20 hectolitres per hectolitre of beer produced by the brewery, with an average consumption of 7.3 hi. From a perspective of eco-efficiency a large number of brewe ries have adopted the voluntary target of less than 7 hi water per hi beer. In order to provide support to Heineken's breweries all over the world we have developed a tool that indicates the potential for the reduction of the use of water and the concomitant investments involved in achieving these reductions. We have used this information to specify the target figure stated in Section 3.3, which stipulates that from the year 2002 onwards none of the breweries in the Heineken Company may consume amounts of water in excess of 7 hl/hl. Water A GROWING AWARENESS OF WATER: TRANSFERRING OUR VISION The mere specification of targets is not sufficient. In order to achieve our objectives we have initiated the 'Aware of water' project, which is oriented both towards the internal organisation and towards the out side world. Within our Company we wish to increase awareness of every aspect of water consump tion. To this end a video production specifically intended for the internal organisation has been produced, in which the Chairman challenges all employees in the countries in which Heineken is active. This video is supported by the 'Aware of Water toolkit', which contains information for the company management and the environmental co-ordinators of the individual production facilities. In combination these measures enable Heineken to communicate clearly its vision, approach and objectives. HEINEKEN ENVIRONMENT REPORT 1998-1999

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Heineken - Milieuverslag | 1998 | | pagina 24