Case study: Heineken Italy energy booklet
“Small changes to daily routine in the brewery can add up to big changes in energy saving.”
Alessandro Merlo Safety, Health & Environment Manager, Heineken Italia
To improve the air quality and same CO2 emissions, Heineken Italy has started using electrical delivery vans for distributing beer to bars in old city centres.
Making energy conservation simple
The consumption of energy is an inevitable consequence of brewing beer. Breweries use energy in the form of heating and cooling (thermal energy) and in the form of power (electricity).
The sensible and most efficient consumption of energy has always been an important priority for Heineken.
The conservation of energy is of particular importance at Heineken Italia. The operating company generates its thermal energy predominantly through natural gas, while its electricity reserves are drawn from the national power grid, which is for 80 per cent generated by fossil fuels. Efficient consumption is of great importance for the Italian operation.
In August 2007, Heineken Italia published a 28-page booklet for 600 of its Supply Chain staff, in order to provide them with practical information and advice concerning the efficient consumption of energy at the brewery.
“This simple and concise publication is divided into two distinct sections,” says Alessandro Merlo at Heineken Italia’s Supply Chain department. “The first part features a short description of how energy is used in the brewery, while offering the reader general information relating to the production of CO2 and the link to climate change. The second section focuses on a wide range of basic activities which can be applied throughout the brewery in order to save energy or make use of alternative energy sources.”
The booklet also features in-depth information on water usage, CO2 recovery systems, waste-water plants and an analysis of boiler energy use.