FOREWORD
priority given to many aspects of social responsibility
by our operating companies and there has been a
massive response to our first wide-ranging structural
survey of social indicators. Only two operating com
panies (Kazakhstan and Croatia) were unable to
participate because their administrative organisa
tions were not yet sufficiently advanced. Overall, we
are pleased with the survey's findings, even if there
are some points on which individual operating com
panies still have room for improvement.
There remain several areas of concern. In this
context, we should first remember the colleagues
who lost their lives in accidents in the period 2002-
2003 covered by this report, either in the course of
their duties or while travelling on company business
or to or from work. I should like to take this opportu
nity once again to convey my sympathy to those
they have left behind. At the environmental level,
an important area of concern is that 28 per cent of
our breweries still use more than our standard seven
hectolitres of water for each hectolitre of beer they
produce and 32 per cent of our breweries still dis
charge untreated waste water. Our previously an
nounced programme to build waste-water treatment
plants at our African breweries was to have been
completed in 2006, but it has been necessary for
several reasons to move the completion date back.
There are also further improvements to be made in
several countries in the recycling of co-products.
At the social level, extra effort needs to be invested
in the implementing our alcohol policy, our integrity
policy and our policy on supply-chain responsibility.
The necessary programmes are already in progress
or are currently being prepared. Extra attention
also needs to be focused on human rights, by explain
ing more clearly to our operating companies the
role which the company is able and willing to play in
this area.
To summarise, we have made good progress in the
past two years, but we are not there yet. We are
aiming for sustainability and we realise that there is
still much work to be done. I hope you will join us on
our journey to a more sustainable future. In order to
ensure that you have access to accurate information,
we shall be issuing interim reports, mainly by posting
them on the web at www.heinekeninternational.com,
in addition to our two-yearly reports and annual
updates. We look forward to receiving your com
ments on this report, which you can send us via the
website or by e-mail to responsibility@heineken.com.
I cordially invite you to join us in shaping our future.
Chairman of the Executive Board of Heineken N.V.
TOWARDS SUSTA INABILITY
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