Heineken unveils green targets

'Greater transparency', CEO Jean-Françoise van Boxmeer

Emissions to be cut by 40% by 2020

Heineken has set out ambitious new plans for cutting the toll it takes on the planet, pledging to cut its carbon emissions by 40% in the next decade.

The brewer says emissions will be trimmed down to 6.4kg of CO₂ by 2020. By the same year 3.7 litres of water will be used per litre of beer brewed, cut by a quarter of 2008’s level.

Outlined in its 10-year sustainability plan, ‘Brewing a Better Future’, Heineken claims it will put in place initiatives to cut the carbon footprint of its entire supply chain, starting with the introduction of more efficient fridges this year.

“As a leading brewer, we believe that we should take responsibility for our actions and be clear on what others can expect from us,” said Heineken CEO, Jean-Françoise van Boxmeer.

“This new sustainability agenda coupled with our greater transparency on targets and performance reflects this belief.”

When asked by BG whether absolute emissions and water-use are likely to increase as a result of acquisitions and increased sales in the next decade, a spokesman said today that this “can’t be determined over a 10-year time frame”.

Heineken has also pledged to increase its sourcing of local raw materials in Africa to 60% of overall African supply by 2020. The brewer will invest €1 million a year in local projects through the Heineken Africa Foundation over the next 10 years.

By 2015, all of Heineken’s operating companies will produce their own local sustainability reports and a new supplier code is set to be introduced to promote partnership throughout the supply chain.

In total the plan outlines 23 separate programmes to support three strategic focus areas – continuous environmental improvement, empowerment of people and communities and improvement of beer’s role in society.

While Heineken’s water-use target is ambitious, it lags far behind industry leader A-B InBev’s aim of using just 3.5 litres of water per litre of beer brewed by 2012. SABMiller is aiming for the 3.5:1 ratio by 2015.