Heineken N.V. 5
Summary Sustainability Report 2013
Agriculture
Our main raw materials are barley
and hops. In addition we use
bittersweet cider apples for cider-
making. We are an active member
of the Sustainable Agriculture
Initiative (SAI) Platform that
addresses all aspects of sustainable
agriculture. In Africa, local sourcing
is a major priority for us. Sourcing
crops locally creates shared value in
several ways: as a company, we reduce
transport costs; environmentally, we
reduce the travel distance of crops
with less imports; and the local
communities become financially
empowered and independent with
improved livelihoods, jobs and income.
Malting
Malting consumes energy and water
and necessitates transport. We
implement energy and water reduction
programmes in our own malteries and
engage our suppliers in discussions in
relation to their usage. Where feasible
we switch from road to shipping when
transporting barley and malt.
Brewing, cider-making and soft
drink production
Each of these processes consumes
energy and water. Reducing energy and
water consumption means increasing
energy and water efficiency and
switching to other more environmentally
friendly energy sources where feasible.
Energy and water reduction is achieved
by optimising the production processes.
Each brewery, cider mill and soft drink
production site has a specific target and
we have an interactive, best-in-class IT
system that allows us to share good
practices between them.
Packaging material
Our products are packed in cans,
bottles and kegs, in the case of beer
sold as cellar beer. Improving the
impact of packaging can be achieved
by optimising the production of the
packaging, changing the design
and increasing the recycling and
re-use rate.
Distribution
All our products need to be transported
to our customers using several modes
of transport, including road, rail and
ocean freight as well as inland barges.
Wherever we can, we optimise the
distribution by changing the form
of transport, training drivers, using
more efficient engines, improving
the design of vehicles and re-assessing
distribution networks.
Customers
Most of our beers and ciders are
consumed cold and thus cooled at
the point of consumption via fridges
(beer in bottles, cans or smaller kegs)
or draught equipment (for beer in
kegs). For new fridges purchased by
HEINEKEN across all its brands, we
have defined green standards with
which they have to comply. Each year
the standards are adjusted to ensure
that we continue to progress towards
our 2020 goals. In addition, we
continue to develop greener draught
equipment such as the David (XL)
Green in recent years and the
SmartDispense® system in 2013.
Consumers
We have a clear set of standards
and rules for responsible commercial
communication, covering both
offline and online. In the last two
years we have pioneered the creation
of advertising that makes responsible
consumption aspirational for
consumers. In 2013, we committed
to invest 10% of our media spend in
key markets on the Heineken® brand
to support this campaign. The two
campaigns - 'Sunrise' and the
new 'Dance More, Drink Slow' (in
partnership with world-famous DJ
Armin van Buuren) are leading-edge
examples of our commitment to this
vital area. We also actively engage
partners including other companies,
NGOs and governments to assist us
in reaching people and increasing
the effectiveness of the message.
As an industry, we have put in place
a set of binding commitments aimed
at reducing alcohol-related harm.
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Read our online report for
more information and related
case studies.
