Heineken Malaysia secured two Gold recognitions in the Responsible Manufacturing and Water Management & Efficiency categories at the ESG Positive Impact Awards 2025.
The accolades highlight the brewer’s ongoing EverGreen 2030 and Brew a Better World sustainability strategies in reducing its environmental footprint.
Heineken Malaysia managing director Martijn van Keulen said the recognitions reflect long-term investments, continuous innovation and collaborative efforts to optimise their operations, resource management and value creation.
“Our long-term success depends on safeguarding the natural resources and ecosystems that enable our business to thrive, while creating value for the communities around us.
“From reducing emissions and improving resource efficiency in our brewery to protecting water resources and supporting communities, sustainability is embedded in how we do business every day.
“It is about continually finding better ways to brew, operate and grow for a future-fit business, aligned with our purpose to Brew the Joy of True Togetherness to Inspire a Better World,” he said.
Heineken Malaysia is acknowledged for cutting Scope 1 and 2 production emissions by 45% against a 2022 baseline at its Sungei Way Brewery, utilising 100% renewable electricity through Tenaga Nasional Berhad’s Green Electricity Tariff programme, complemented by 3,500 rooftop solar panels that generate approximately 2,600 MWh of renewable electricity annually.
It upgraded its wastewater treatment plant with a RM7 million investment, generating biogas that supplies about 4% of the brewery’s thermal energy requirements.
The company’s efforts are extended across its value chain with 40 key suppliers participating in the UN Global Compact’s ESG Start programme to strengthen their environmental, social and governance capabilities.
Heineken Malaysia achieved water stewardship through a triangular strategy focused on efficiency, circularity and water balancing. Since 2014, the company has improved internal water efficiency by 36% through investments in modern equipment, water recycle and reuse initiatives, flow meters and process optimisation. In 2025, the company also achieved 221% of its external water-balancing target, verified by LimnoTech.
Beyond the brewery, Heineken Malaysia, through its corporate responsibility arm, SPARK Foundation, has invested over RM16 million since 2007 in holistic water stewardship and resilience programs, including river rehabilitation, watershed protection, peatland restoration, rainwater harvesting and alternative water access.
Heineken Malaysia has maintained zero waste to landfill since 2017 by recycling or upcycling 100% of its production waste, including spent grain and other brewing by-products, totaling 35,637 tonnes in 2025.
The company has also worked with a supplier to replace plastic secondary packaging with paper-based alternatives, eliminating 195 tonnes of single-use plastic.
Heineken Malaysia corporate affairs and legal director Renuka Indrarajah said the company’s sustainability journey requires continuous innovation while ensuring that the value created extends to local communities and the environment.
“Across our operations and value chain, our people are taking action to reduce water and energy use, minimise waste and find smarter ways to use resources, while working with communities to protect the natural resources we depend on.
“Through our ‘Together We Can’ rallying cry under the Brew a Better World 2030 sustainability strategy, we recognise that meaningful progress comes from working together across our value chain.
“These Gold recognitions are an encouragement to keep raising the bar and creating lasting value for our business, communities and the environment,” she said.
