5.4.2 Nutrients discharged by the production units Nitrates and phosphates in the wastewater originate from the cleaning agents and from the proteins that have a natural presence in residues of malt, beer and yeast. It should be noted that a reduction of COD as a result of good housekeeping also results in a reduction of nitrates and phosphates. In the past few years Heineken has been able to reduce the quantities of phosphates and nitrates in cleaning agents. Even though our breweries have become more envi ronmentally friendly they will nonetheless continue to search for new opportunities to restrict the use of these agents to an even further extent. in 1999, our on site wastewater treatment facilities that discharge to the sur face water, jointly discharged 174 tonnes of nitrogen and 93 tonnes of phosphorus in various compounds. 5.5 Packaging With respect to packaging, we continually search for more environmentally-friendly solutions. Examples are the active development and implementation of pigments and materials for beer crates that have a reduced environmental impact. The improved pigment, which contains no heavy metals, is used for the new Heineken and Amstel crates in the Netherlands and other countries. In the Netherlands we are actively engaged in research to find an environmentally friendly method for the processing of beer crates containing cadmium that have been taken out of circulation. Further more, we use printing inks that do not contain heavy metals, solvent-free lacquers for cans. We also endeavour to avoid the use of PVC wherever possible. Our preparations for the complete transition from the existing plastic crown cork inlay to a material that does not contain PVC are at an advanced stage. N&P emission all production units after own treatment kg/year 0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 1999 231,073 396,058 1998 223,755 421,855 phosphorus 1997 212,445 nitrogen 386,318 EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE 51

Jaarverslagen en Personeelsbladen Heineken

Heineken - Milieuverslag | 1998 | | pagina 53