34 Heineken N.V. Annual Report 2004 Report of the Executive Board Operational Review
Award for best sustainability report by a Dutch company. In recognition of our continuous focus
on Corporate Social Responsibility, our rating as measured by the SAM/Dow Jones STOXX benchmark
rose by 6% in 2004. This puts Heineken in the number 4 position in the beverages sector. Our goal is
to reach the top 3- During the year, Heineken's listing in the FTSE4 Good index was maintained.
In 2005, Heineken will not publish a full sustainability report, but will provide a performance
update. Our intention is to publish this in the first half of 2005 and to provide periodic updates on this
subject on the website at www.heinekeninternational.com/responsibility.
In addition to the full Sustainability Report, in 2004 we published the brochure 'Living our
Responsibility'. This publication is intended mainly for internal use and provides case studies of our
commitment to social responsibility from around the world.
Business conduct
In 2004, the Heineken Code of Business Conduct and the Heineken Code of Whistle Blowing were
introduced. Both documents are available on our corporate website.
The Code of Business Conduct sets rules and guidelines on issues ranging from compliance with
local rules and regulations, fraud prevention, and dealing with gifts and corruption, to conflict of
interest and chain responsibility. All operating companies are expected to have translated the
Heineken Code of Business Conduct into a local code before 30 June 2005. We have set up a review
board to ensure consistency of the local codes with the Heineken Code.
The Heineken Code of Whistle Blowing, containing provisions for internal disclosure of serious
wrongdoings and/or malpractice, will be rolled out in 2005.
Environmental sustainability
Our respect for the environment starts with strict control of what goes into and comes out of our
breweries and facilities around the world. Our environmental policy addresses all links in the supply
chain, from the procurement of materials and services, through brewing and packaging, distribution
and consumption of our products to the processing of by-products, wastewater and waste. We adhere
strictly to national rules and regulations regarding waste and wastewater disposal. Where local
regulatory requirements do not exist, we apply our own Heineken standards.
In our most recent Sustainability Report we provide in-depth and extensive environmental
information on aspects including the origin of primary sources such as water, fuel, indirect CO,
emissions, ozone layer depletion due to the leakage of refrigerants and the destination of our by
products. Our enhanced alertness to the environmental aspects of brewing and selling beer inevitably
reveals areas requiring improvements.
The efficient use of raw materials, water and energy is a simple but critical starting point for our
responsibility. In this regard, we have a programme to promote energy awareness throughout
the company that is now well underway. We set a target of reducing energy by 7.5% between 2002
and 2004 and met it. We continuously research new and improved ways of reducing natural resources
through our 'Aware of Water' and 'Aware of Energy' programmes. The many specific actions relating
to environmental improvements undertaken in 2004 include the civil works for a new wastewater
treatment plant in Kaduna, Nigeria. The plant will be operational in 2005.
Health and safety
Heineken makes every effort to prevent circumstances arising at its operations that might have a
negative effect on the health and safety of its employees. Heineken has a global health and safety
policy that serves as a basis for individual operating companies.
The operating companies, in turn, provide statistics annually and a more extensive report every
two years. We develop and apply our own Heineken standards where local regulatory requirements
do not exist. That means providing health care to employees and their families where medical services
are inadequate. It also means providing employees regularly with information and training to protect
them from unsafe and unhealthy situations.
In the last few years we have run a programme in Africa to promote the use of personal protective
