J
57.5*
97%*
Every Drop - protecting water resources
Wastewater
management
O O Qs
Report of the Executive Board
Report of the Supervisory Board
a
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
total wastewater
volume in million m3
wastewater was treated
before discharge
Our brewery processes generate wastewater which
contains organic materials and cleaning agents.
We are committed to treating all of our wastewater
before we return it to nature, and we have invested
heavily in wastewater treatment plants at the
majority of our operations.
At the end of 2019, 97%* of our wastewater
volume was treated before discharge. We still
have ten sites without a wastewater treatment
plant: nine breweries and one malting plant,
representing 2.4% of beverage production
volumes (2018: 11 sites, 3% volume).
In 2019, new wastewater treatment plants started
up at our breweries in Meoqui (Mexico) and
Honiara (Solomon Islands). The plant in Zajecar
(Serbia) will be operational by the end of 2020.
Construction is underway in Lae and Port Moresby
(Papua New Guinea).
The remaining sites that still lack wastewater
treatment are either under construction or have
been planned for. We will not fully meet our target
by end of 2020, but our focus remains on achieving
100% wastewater treatment.
Some of our wastewater is treated in third-party
treatment plants, most run by municipalities.
We carry out quality checks to ensure treatment
is up to our standards. Based on the outcomes of
these assessments, we decided to invest in two on-
site treatment plants to replace current third-party
treatment in Papua New Guinea and Burundi.
Looking ahead
Our ambition for 2030 is to maximise water
circularity in water-stressed areas through recovery,
reuse and recycling, and to treat 100% of our
wastewater worldwide.
For our breweries in water-stressed areas, this
means enabling the recovery, reuse and recycling
of treated effluent for use by others, including
nearby industries, farmers and nature. It is a journey
that brings many challenges but that has the
potential to significantly benefit the health of local
watersheds and communities.
For more on our water stewardship approach and progress,
see our website and case studies
We are adopting the new GRI standards on Water and Effluents,
more disclosures can be found in the GRI table published in
March 2020.
At the time of publication this indicator was not assured, however, final
externally assured data will be published on the HEINEKEN website by
the end of March 2020.
Financial Statements
Sustainability Review
Heineken N.V. Annual Report 2019 (127,
Other Information
Wastewater treatment in Honiara,
Solomon Islands
We have built a new aerobic wastewater treatment
plant that meets strict effluent treatment requirements
in one of the smallest HEINEKEN breweries.
