29.
Water strategy
Water is an important raw material for our
business and used as a utility for cleaning,
cooling and heating. Our strategy aims primarily
at reducing usage of utility water by carrying out
cleaning processes more efficiently and improving
heat exchange processes.
Well water accounts for 43 per cent of our needs,
with 48 per cent of total volumes used coming
from public utilities.
Our water consumption remained stable at 5.5
hectolitres per hectolitre in 2005, falling short of
the 5.3 hectolitres per hectolitre target for 2005.
The impact of including soft drinks figures was
offset by an increase that resulted from the
introduction of a more accurate method for
defining water consumption: several production
units have included cooling water for the first time
this year. Water consumption also increased in Aba
(Nigeria) and Valencia (Spain), due to decreased
production and lower efficiency.
In 2005, 33 breweries still failed to comply with the
maximum target of 7 hectolitre per hectolitre set
out in our Aware of Water programme - three
more than in 2004. The increase is the result of
new acquisitions (in Egypt, Nigeria and Russia).
Waste strategy
Our strategy regarding waste is to maximise the
recycling of our residual materials. Residual
materials consist of co-products, waste packaging
materials and other industrial waste. In 2004 we
recycled 95 per cent and in 2005 we recycled
94 per cent (excluding waste water treatment
sludge and hazardous waste).
The environmental performance indicator is
expressed as the amount of non-recycled industrial
waste per hectolitre. This increased from 0.95 kg
per hectolitre in 2004 to 1.08 kg per hectolitre in
2005. The target for 2005 of 0.70 kg per hectolitre
was not met. The increase can, amongst other
things, be attributed to poor recycling of brewer's
spent grains in Lagos (Nigeria) and packaging waste
in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea). Unfortunately,
it is not possible to recycle these major waste
streams at either location. In addition, replacement
of packaging materials (bottles in Bujumbura,
Burundi, and pallets in Shanghai, China) caused
an incidental increase in non-recycled waste
production. In 2005 the way in which we report on
waste has been standardised for all production
units, making our reported waste data more reliable.
Eco Care Indicator
Other environmental issues are grouped under the
Eco Care Indicator. About 30 environmental issues
are aggregated in the Eco Care Indicator using
Specific water consumption
breweries and soft-drink plants
Specific non-recycled industrial waste production
breweries and soft-drink plants
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
I 4.66
4.85
5.00
I 5.47
I 5.41
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004 I
2003 I
I 0.89
0.94
I 1.06
I 1.08
I 0.95
I 1.09
Actual
Target
hi water/hi beer soft-drink
Actual
Target
kg/hi beer soft-drink
Heineken N.V. - 2004/2005 Sustainability Report