Heineken Sustainability Report 2008

What we did

We continued our Aware of Energy programme that requires all production units to continuously improve their energy performance. The methodology of making sustainable improvements has been embedded within the Total Productive Management (TPM) programme.

To facilitate the exchange of best practices, we designed a good practices matrix that contains 59 possible improvement actions throughout the production process. This matrix allows for a rough calculation of payback times so that operations can quickly assess the applicability of specific improvements actions.

We have mapped the major carbon impacts of some of our products despite the lack of specific data from suppliers and the lack of a comparable, industry-wide calculation method. It has provided us though with valuable insights into the constituents of our carbon footprint throughout the value chain. We will apply this knowledge in focused improvements over time.

We held an Energy and Carbon Workshop (see case study), involving production and non-production staff as well as third party experts. The session was focused on developing new ideas to improve future targets and strategy related to energy and carbon.

We updated our Utilities Benchmark Model that simulates minimum energy (and water) use per brewery. The model is based on best practices, good housekeeping (including good maintenance) and investments in state-of-the-art technology. We will implement all possible good housekeeping measures that derive from the model within the next three years, leading to further improvements in our energy efficiency.

To a large extent, the savings in specific thermal energy consumption have been caused by the implementation of successful energy-saving measures, such as the insulation of steam pipes, the replacement of equipment and re-use of condensate from steam plants at our production sites in Khabarovsk, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk (Russia). The site in Santa Fé (Argentina) saved a significant amount of fossil fuel through the optimisation of condensate recovery and the use of biogas from the waste water treatment plant as an alternative fuel for the steam boilers.

We installed energy-efficient equipment in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Lagos (Nigeria), Irkutsk and St. Petersburg (Russia) that contributed to a reduction in electricity consumption. Our new energy-efficient brewery in Sevilla (Spain), which has been fully operational since the beginning of 2008, also contributed positively.

All former Scottish & Newcastle operating units have been integrated into the Heineken approach with regard to policies on Safety and Environment. Where relevant, best practices have been exchanged and where possible, implemented or planned.