58.4
97%
O
tiï O Q,
Sustainability Review (continued)
Every Drop - protecting water resources (continued)
Wastewater management
Introduction Report of the Executive Board Report of the Supervisory Board
2020 commitment
All of our wastewater volumes are treated -
by us or by a third party - before being discharged
into surface water
Our progress
More to do
Our contribution
to the SDGs:
6.3
Improve water quality
Our brewery processes generate wastewater which
contains organic materials as well as cleaning
agents. We have been investing in wastewater
treatment plants at the majority of our operations
since 1999, even in markets without effluent
legislation. We are committed to treating all our
wastewater before we return it to nature.
In 2018, a new wastewater treatment plant became
operational in Gisenyi, Rwanda. Construction of
another one started in Zajecar, Serbia.
At the end of 2018, 96% of all our wastewater* was
treated before discharge. However, we still have
11 sites without a treatment plant: 10 beverage
plants and one malting plant, representing 3% of
production volume (2017: 12 sites, 4% volume).
Those sites currently lacking wastewater treatment
infrastructure are part of our investment planning.
Looking ahead
We will increasingly shift from simply wastewater
treatment and disposal to recovery, reuse
and recycling, with treated water used for
production purposes, in local agriculture and
for other industries.
Especially for our breweries in water-stressed areas,
we will start looking at wastewater through a circular
economy lens, exploring solutions for water scarcity.
total wastewater
volume in million m3
beverage production
volume* was treated
before discharge
We use two ways of measuring wastewater treatment: by volumes of
wastewater and by volumes of production.
For more on our water stewardship approach and progress,
see our website and case studies.
Financial Statements
Sustainability Review
Heineken N.V. Annual Report 2018
Other Information
Brewing a Better World in action
Wastewater treatment in Rwanda
Our new €5.4 million wastewater treatment plant in
Gisenyi uses a two-stage process: wastewater from
the brewery is first treated under anaerobic conditions
using bacteria to break down the organic matter in the
wastewater into biogas. Biogas can be collected and
used as a renewable energy source. The remaining
effluent is then treated using aerobic bacteria before
the treated wastewater is returned to surface water.
MP éT~l
