Heineken has announced its commitment to become carbon neutral in its own production by 2030 and its full value chain by 2040.
The announcement marks the first in a series of refreshed Brew a Better World ambitions, which form part of the company’s new EverGreen growth strategy.
In order to decarbonise its production sites, Heineken says it will maximise energy efficiency and renewable energy use by 2030.
By 2030, the brewer also aims to cut emissions by 30% across its entire value chain – including barley farmers, packaging manufacturers and logistic providers – compared to a 2018 baseline.
“We aim to be carbon neutral in our production sites by 2030 in order to meet the 1.5°C goal set by the Paris Agreement. We will further reduce our emissions through energy efficiency and speed up the transition towards renewable energy,” said Heineken CEO and chairman, Dolf van den Brink.
“A large part of our overall carbon footprint beyond production comes from agriculture, packaging, distribution and cooling. This means we will work in close partnership with our suppliers and partners to reach our ambitious goal of a carbon neutral value chain by 2040.”
Heineken says the 2040 commitment makes it the first global brewer to aim for carbon neutrality in its full value chain.
The Dutch brewing company says it has already started working towards achieving its goals including reducing carbon emissions per hectolitre in its breweries by 51% since 2008.
Since committing to the transition to renewable energy in 2018, Heineken has implemented over 130 renewable energy projects, including what it claims are five of the world’s ten largest on-site solar-powered breweries.
Last year, Heineken announced that all beer sold in the Dutch market is brewed using 100% green energy. Meanwhile in December, it entered a partnership to build a wind farm in Finland, which will inject renewable electricity in the European grid supplying 13 of its operating companies.
As part of the shift, Heineken has become a member of the Business Ambition for 1.5C, the Race to Zero and RE100.
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