"Everything originated from water,
everything continued to exist through water"
"Water only tastes
good after it's been
in the brewery"
GOETHE
E NTARY
eries and our beers need a sufficient
supply of good quality water.
RESPECT
Heineken is focusing attention on
the subject of water, both within its
breweries and elsewhere. Internal
action programmes are being deve
loped so that Heineken operating
companies all over the world can
achieve further water savings in
their breweries. "Via this sponsor
ship and all the activities we are
organising around it, we want to
demonstrate to the world our com
mitment to good corporate citizens
hip. In that way we can show what
the company behind the brands
actually is. Through this sponsorship
we will also demonstrate that
- as we state in our corporate
brochure - we indeed have respect
for the environment."
Sponsoring does not mean in
this case that the documentary
series will carry a distinct Heineken
signature. The company name will
appear in the closing credits of each
episode. Footage may possibly also
be shot in Heineken breweries but,
as Mr Montijn explains, "pictures of
Heineken will only be shown in
'Aware of Water' if they fit within the
overall context and framework of
the film".
RECORDINGS
Heineken has no control over the
contents of the series of documenta
ries. But the Dutch production com
pany Swynk has promised that the
documentary will be of a high quali
ty and will also be accessible to a
broad public.
A selection from the subjects
dealt with in the series: the life cycle
of a water droplet, the rapidly de
clining groundwater level in the
Chinese city of Beijing, irrigation,
the production of drinking water,
man's need for water, and the use of
water by industry. Three camera
teams are making film recordings in
all parts of the world. One of the
places they will visit is the Aral Sea
in Russia which, as a result of human
activities, is meanwhile half dried up
and where fish are dying in massive
numbers because the salt concentra
tion is too high. Film footage of an
ingenious irrigation project in Israel
will also be recorded.
AWARENESS FUND
The total budget for the film produc
tion is six million guilders. Heineken
is the main sponsor. Four other busi
nesses will be acting as partner/
co-sponsor of Swynk for this project.
Others involved in the project are
various governments and interna
tional bodies, such as the World
Health Organisation and the FAO
(Food and Agriculture Organisation).
The documentary will in any
event be screened on television in
several European countries.
Broadcasting organisations in other
countries, including the United
States and Canada, have already
shown an interest in the series.
Before committing themselves,
however, they are waiting until they
HEARD IN THE BREWERY
have seen film footage and the script
of the documentary so that they can
assess the quality of the series. If the
production company Swynk makes a
profit on sales of the documentary
series, part of that profit will go to a
fund which will propagate a wider
awareness of the water issue in the
years ahead. For water is too valu
able an asset to be treated carelessly.
