Managing our
responsibilities
Jean-Frangois van Boxmeer
Chairman Executive Board/CEO
if we do so effectively we will strengthen our
licence to operate, reduce operating costs (for
example by increasing energy efficiency) and also
stimulate innovation (for example by producing
renewable energy from spent grains).
Our high ambitions and the need to manage our
impacts effectively, frequently drive us to move
beyond compliance with laws and regulations -
in short, to go the extra mile to achieve our aims.
We have published dedicated reports on
sustainability and corporate responsibility since
2000. As part of the process involved in defining
the content of our previous reports we have
established strong and open dialogue with a
significant number of stakeholders. Based on this
dialogue, we have defined seven areas on which
we believe we should focus our energy in order
to maximise benefits for society, our stakeholders
and our company. They are:
Energy: consumption and C02 emission
Water: our consumption and waste-water
discharge
Safety: of our employees and our installations
Agriculture: the quality and availability of
raw materials
Supply chain responsibility
Responsible beer consumption
Impact on developing markets
Over the next few years our policies, investments,
resources and energy will all be channelled to
maximise our positive impact in these seven
areas. We believe this focus will also help us fulfil
our aim to report in line with one of the most
important principles set out in the G3 Reporting
Guidelines issued by Global Reporting Initiative
(GRI) - that of materiality.
Over the past year, we have done more than
simply re-define our sustainability agenda,
important though this step may be. We have also
recorded significant achievements in many areas
of our business. I am particularly proud of the
activities we have undertaken in providing good
basic healthcare to our employees and their
dependants, the progress we made in ensuring
responsible advertising and the successful
introduction of the Supplier Code.
We must also acknowledge areas where we have
not fully achieved our objectives. This report
records our successes and our failures in a clear
and transparent way.
I would like to take this opportunity to express
once again our condolences and support for the
families and friends of the three colleagues lost
in work-related accidents during 2006. We will
continue our focus on health and safety. Further
improvement of our activities is also required in
some other areas, such as Alcohol Work, energy
efficiency and water consumption.
In closing, let me say that Fleineken is an ambitious
company, that continuously wants to improve
everything it does. As far as our drive towards
sustainability is concerned, we cannot achieve
excellence without dialogue. We want and need
your feedback and points of view. I would like to
invite you to share your thoughts and ideas with
us by email at: responsibility@heineken.com.
I thank you in advance for your response.
Jean-Frangois van Boxmeer
Chairman Executive Board/CEO
Amsterdam, 31 March 2007
