Sourcing sustainably
Source raw
materials from vE/
sustainable sources
O O Qs
Introduction Report of the Executive Board Report of the Supervisory Board
2020 commitment
Aim for at least 50% of our main raw materials4
to come from sustainable sources5
Our progress
More to do
Our contribution to the SDGs:
2.4 Sustainable food production systems
and resilient agriculture
2 SS».
In 2019, an estimated 37% of our raw materials4
came from sustainable sources (34% in 2018).
Standards for sourcing sustainably cultivated crops
are based on the globally-recognised principles of the
Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI) and
the farmers who supply us must respect more than
130 requirements6.
Many of our global suppliers and local operating
companies have made good progress by increasing
volumes of sustainably sourced materials. Globally,
52% of all the barley, our main raw material,
came from sustainable sources in 2019.
Local operating companies in countries such as
Greece, Egypt and Mexico are increasing sustainable
volumes of barley by developing specific farming
practices in collaboration with partners.
- In Egypt, the focus has been on finding seed
varieties to increase yields with fewer inputs.
Cooperation with a local research centre resulted
in the use of seeds with a shorter plantation cycle.
They use 6% less water (compared to 2018) and
have a higher yield and conversion rate from barley
to malt.
- Greece delivered its first sustainable volumes with
7,300 tonnes of barley certified to bronze SAI level
(2019 crop). Athenian Brewery is collaborating with
breeders and universities to breed early maturation
barley varieties to improve barley growers' yields.
- In Mexico, the Smart Farming programme
launched in 2018 has focused on reducing
agricultural inputs through technologies such as
drip and sprinkler irrigation, conservation agriculture
and precision farming. Results for the first pilots
include a 28% reduction in fertiliser use and a 64%
increase in barley yields.
Cool Farm Tool: measurement and
improvement of farming practices
We have started to implement the 'Cool Farm
Tool' to collect data on farming practices, water
consumption, fertiliser and pesticide use and crop
yields. The data is being used to calculate CO2
emissions at farm level and will help to improve
farming practices.
The tool is being tested by several suppliers and
operating companies across six countries in Europe
and Americas. Farmers of five raw materials are
involved: barley, maize, hops, sugar cane and
wheat. The initial results look promising, both in
terms of the data that can be collected and the
insights we will gain. The data helps us to improve
farming practices, refine our sustainable agriculture
approach and accurately measure the water
footprint of our agricultural raw materials.
Financial Statements
Sustainability Review
Heineken N.V. Annual Report 2019
Other Information
Barley project in Greece
Our brewery in Greece is working with partners to
improve the yield and quality of local malting barley,
including developing early maturation varieties. In 2019,
over 7,000 tonnes of malting barley were certified to
Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) bronze standard.
Reporting our suppliers' CO2 emissions
CDP is the world's largest collection of self-reported
climate change, water and forests data. This year,
we adopted the CDP reporting approach for our
raw materials suppliers to better understand their
energy consumption and CO2 emissions. 84% of raw
materials suppliers responded to the questionnaire
and we will use the data to develop CO2 emissions
reduction roadmaps with them.
Looking ahead
We are developing a new strategy for sustainable
agriculture. It will embed a holistic sustainability
approach that considers both impact on the planet,
in particular CO2 emissions reduction, and benefits
to the communities we work with.
For more on our Sustainable Agriculture approach and progress,
see our website and case studies
