BREWER RECOGNISED AT SUSTAINABILITY & CSR MALAYSIA AWARDS 2021

Kuala Lumpur, 2nd December 2021 – Heineken Malaysia Berhad (HEINEKEN Malaysia) was a proud winner at the recent Sustainability & CSR Malaysia Awards 2021, winning the Company of the Year award (Manufacturing and Beverage) again, for the fourth time since 2017. The award recognised the company for supporting its stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as for its outstanding achievements in environmental sustainability, particularly its water stewardship initiatives.

Commenting on the achievement, Roland Bala, HEINEKEN Malaysia’s Managing Director said, “This win demonstrates our commitment to contribute to Malaysia’s recovery and sustainable growth. As a responsible brewer, we are focused on brewing a sustainable future for our people, business, and planet. During the challenging period of lockdowns, we channeled over RM3 million to support to our customers and communities in need.”

“Many of our on-trade partners such as restaurants, coffee shops, food courts, bars and pubs were deeply impacted by the disruptions and restrictions during the lockdown period. During this challenging period, we embodied the ‘We are HEINEKEN’ spirit by reaching out and supporting our business partners, customers, and society. Additionally, we leveraged our existing network of partnerships with local communities and NGOs in providing the necessary support to vulnerable families during the lockdowns,” added Roland.

In July this year, HEINEKEN Malaysia launched the HEINEKEN Cares programme, through which it partnered with eight non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and social enterprises to distribute meals to communities affected by the pandemic. The Group has set an ambitious goal of providing 150,000 meals by 31 December to communities impacted by job or income loss during these tough times. As of November 2021, more than 120,000 meals have been distributed to communities in need.

Throughout the pandemic, HEINEKEN Malaysia also launched various initiatives in support of outlet owners and its other business partners, including:

• Tiger Save Our Street Food: HEINEKEN Malaysia pledged RM1.5 million to support Malaysian street food to cover rent for street food vendors, coffee shops and food courts across the country.
• HEINEKEN Raise Our Bars: HEINEKEN Malaysia committed RM1 million in supporting bars and pubs to recover from financial difficulties after the Movement Control Order (MCO) was lifted.
• Trade Partners Support: HEINEKEN Malaysia enabled trade partners to sell draught beer by delivery or takeaway by providing partner outlets with recyclable PET bottles and cups, allowing them to continue serving draught beer during the lockdown season.
• Distributor Financing Support – HEINEKEN Malaysia provided distributors with adequate financing support to ease cash flow pressures and to ensure business continuity throughout the pandemic.
• 7Cs Programme: For quality standards, HEINEKEN Malaysia introduced the 7Cs quality programme to represent the brand’s passion for quality and commitment to excellence.

On the environmental sustainability front, HEINEKEN Malaysia announced a significant milestone in early August this year, having successfully balanced more than 100% of the water used in its products in 2020. This shows significant progress made in line with the Group’s Every Drop water strategy, with the brewer achieving this milestone 10 years ahead of its 2030 Water Stewardship commitment.

Commenting on HEINEKEN Malaysia’s Water Stewardship achievements, Renuka Indrarajah, HEINEKEN Malaysia’s Corporate Affairs & Legal Director said, “Our target is to balance 1.5 litres for every 1 litre of water used in making our products. In 2020, through initiatives like river and peatland conservation, rainwater harvesting, reforestation, and other community initiatives, we achieved 267% versus our water balancing target. Protecting water resources is a long term commitment and it has taken years of consistent efforts since 2007 to achieve this.”

“Moving forward, we will continue investing in initiatives to ensure we are not only a responsible water user, but also as a proactive partner in conserving our rivers and water sources. Water is not only a key ingredient in our products but truly the source of all life, we need to take action today to safeguard water security for the future. In this regard, we are guided by our global Brew A Better World sustainability strategy, which ensures that our operations and brands are aligned to serve a larger purpose and upholds a core value of HEINEKEN, which is CARE for people and planet,” Renuka added

Every Drop is HEINEKEN’s holistic strategy aimed at protecting the health of watersheds. It is a three-pronged approach that integrates Water Stewardship to fully balance the water used in its products; Water Efficiency to reduce water usage in production, and Water Circularity to ensure 100% of wastewater is treated whilst maximising opportunities to reuse and recycle water.

For more information on HEINEKEN Malaysia and the company’s initiatives, please visit www.heinekenmalaysia.com.