SUSTAINABILITY
Bringing Consumers
Greener and
Cleaner Events
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It's not just the Heineken® brand that embodies
'green'. Through its Brewing a Better Future programme,
HEINEKEN has long-term ambition to be the world's
greenest brewer. And for the hundreds of thousands m V
of festival goers who attend Heineken®-sponsored
music events each year, the Company's actions in this
area are increasingly visible. Working closely with event
partners, HEINEKEN's goal is for sustainability to be
integrated within every aspect of these popular events.
- - -
fii ringing such huge numbers
B of consumers together
atHeineken®-sponsored
music events provides a great moment of
interaction between the brand and the
consumer. At the same time, such large
numbers of people in a confined space
for several days at a time can potentially
have a negative impact on the local
environment. To support a sustainable
approach, HEINEKEN has introduced a
toolkit which offers a range of ideas and
strategies to reduce, re-use and recycle.
Kirsten Barnhoorn, Sustainability Manager,
HEINEKEN Global Commerce, tells us,
"We truly believe there are opportunities
to embed sustainability in events and this
requires a joint effort between HEINEKEN
and our partners. There are certain areas
where we have a direct influence, for
example packaging and cooling. In other
areas, we depend on the contribution of
our partners. We've developed the toolkit to
stimulate their thinking and to inspire them
to make choices that will have a positive
impact on the environment."
High Visibility
With packaging alone representing
between 20 to 30% of Heineken®'s total
carbon footprint at events, anything that
can be done to reduce this is a step in
the right direction. In addition to the
potential environmental impact, a field
or event hall littered with plastic cups
doesn't do much for the positive image
of the event or the brand. An example
of how Heineken® is responding to this
challenge is the development of reusable
hard plastic cups for draught beer. These
can be refilled or returned when empty,
ultimately reducing waste and reducing
the carbon footprint. Water is also used
more sparingly with this new approach, as
cleaning and reusing uses less water than
the water required for the production of
disposable cups.
Autumn 2011 World of HEINEKEN
