Heineken Malaysia Bhd’s commitment to environmental and social sustainability has received recognition from the Sustainability & CSR Malaysia Awards 2022 for the fifth year since 2017.
Heineken Malaysia Bhd has been recognized as Company of the Year for Environmental Sustainability & Social Initiatives and also received the Long-Standing Excellence in Sustainability Award, in recognition of its continued sustainability commitment and consistent efforts in giving back to society for many years through its various initiatives.
Heineken Malaysia’s managing director Roland Bala said this year’s double win demonstrates Heineken Malaysia’s commitment to creating a positive impact in Malaysia.
“As a responsible and progressive brewer, our global Brew a Better World sustainability strategy ensures we do the right things to protect the environment, grow with our people and communities around us, as well as advocate responsible consumption. We will continue to be guided by our purpose to Brew the Joy of True Togetherness to Inspire a Better World,” he said.
As of June 2022, the brewer has reduced its carbon emissions in production by 19%, compared with its 2018 baseline. It has an ambitious commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions in production by 2030 and across its value chain by 2040.
Since March 2022, Heineken Malaysia has transitioned to renewable electricity via the Malaysian Renewable Electricity Certificate programme. On-site renewable electricity generation (solar photovoltaic) installation is underway with target completion in Q1 2023.
The brewer has also achieved zero waste to landfill by recycling and upcycling 100% of its by-products and production waste since 2017.
As a result of these initiatives, Heineken Malaysia expects to reduce 86% of carbon emissions in production by 2025, keeping it on track to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
Heineken Malaysia corporate affairs and legal director Renuka Indrarajah said the company has a roadmap to decarbonise its operations, including investing in renewable electricity, increasing biogas recovery and exploring new innovations to reach its net zero goal.
“We are proud to be the first company in Malaysia to fully balance the water we use in our products. We invest in conservation projects that help us protect our water sources externally whilst we continue improving the efficiency of water consumption internally,” she said.
She added, “To make a positive impact for the environment, we cannot do this alone. We need the support and cooperation of our stakeholders across the value chain.”
On social sustainability, Heineken Malaysia sustains more than 500 jobs directly and over 30,000 jobs indirectly. The brewer also supports the growth of the local economy, supplying its products to more than 25,000 retail partners nationwide.
Besides contributing to the economy, the brewer is also committed to making a positive social impact. In 2021, it launched the Heineken Cares programme collaborating with eight NGOs in Peninsular and East Malaysia to deliver 150,000 meals to vulnerable communities across Malaysia at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Heineken Cares programme also delivered 100,000 meals and emergency care packages to flood victims during the flood disaster in Klang Valley in December 2021.
“The Heineken Cares programme connected our employees with our social impact initiatives. To encourage our employees to take action, we committed to deliver 1 meal for every 1,000 steps taken by a Heineken Malaysia employee. We are proud that we collectively contributed over 155 million steps, exceeding our target and enabling our partner NGOs to deliver the much-needed aid to our communities,” said Renuka.
Heineken Malaysia’s Tiger Sin Chew Chinese Education Charity Concert, the brewer’s long-standing social impact project, successfully raised RM5.96 million for five schools through its virtual fundraising concert in 2021.
Since 1994, Tiger Beer together with Sin Chew Daily and Guang Ming Daily have helped to raise more than RM361 million for schools in Malaysia. The fundraising concerts, which are sponsored by Tiger Beer, serve as a platform for local businesses and communities to come together to support their local schools.
