14. Chapter 1: The company (continued) The Heineken company, which traces its roots to 1864, is one of the leading international brewers. Available in almost every country on the planet, the Heineken brand is the most valuable international beer brand. Profile The Heineken® story began in 1864, when Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought a brewery in the heart of Amsterdam. Over the subsequent 142 years, four generations of the Heineken family have strengthened and expanded our brands and our company in Europe and around the world. Our business is about building great brands. In addition to our flagship Heineken brand, we also brew and sell more than 170 international premium, regional, local and specialty beers. Our Amstel brand is Europe's third-largest brand, while other famous brands in our portfolio include Cruzcampo®, Tiger®, Zywiec®, Birra Moretti®, Ochota,® Murphy's® and Star®. Thanks to our global network, including over 115 breweries and distributors in more than 65 countries, we have the widest presence of all international brewers. The popularity of our beers is still growing daily, in relatively new and rapidly expanding beer markets such as Russia. In Western Europe, we are the largest beer brewer and beverage distributor. We earn more than half of our sales there, whilst our wholesalers also distribute wine, spirits and soft drinks to the on- trade. We have now extended that leadership to Central and Eastern Europe and also have an international export operation, shipping beer to major profitable markets such as the USA. In some markets, we also produce soft drinks. We are committed to growth and we embrace innovation as a key component of our strategy in production, marketing communication, packaging and draught beer systems (one area in which we are an acknowledged leader). We work hard to makes sure we always anticipate and meet consumers' changing needs. We take our commitment to conduct business responsibly and in a sustainable manner very seriously, working to constantly expand our initiatives to combat alcohol abuse and misuse, while also setting and exceeding ever-higher standards in the social and environmental areas of our business. Governance The governance model for Heineken N.V. is explained fully in our Annual Report and in the Comply or Explain report that is available on our corporate website. In this chapter we outline the governance processes relevant to our corporate responsibility agenda. The CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board is responsible for our corporate responsibility strategy. To support balanced decision making, we have installed the CSR Advisory Board, Heineken N.V. - 2004/2005 Sustainability Report

Jaarverslagen en Personeelsbladen Heineken

Heineken - Milieuverslag | 2004 | | pagina 16