HEINEKEN Malaysia Berhad (HEINEKEN Malaysia) won two awards at the Sustainable Business Awards (SBA) 2018.
The brewer of world-class brands including Heineken, Tiger, and Guinness received the Best Water Management award, in recognition of its outstanding achievements in reducing water consumption in production.
The Best Water Management Award also recognised HEINEKEN Malaysia’s initiatives to protect water resources externally, which resulted in the increase of access to clean water for rural villages in East Malaysia.
In addition to the Best Water Management Award, HEINEKEN Malaysia also received a Special Recognition for the Flagship Initiative, in recognition of the company’s corporate responsibility efforts in river conservation, community empowerment, and strategic partnerships through SPARK Foundation’s W.A.T.E.R (Working Actively Through Education and Rehabilitation) Project.
The achievements at SBA 2018 highlight HEINEKEN Malaysia’s holistic and consistent approach in creating long-term sustainable value across its value chain.
SBA 2018, which is organised by Global Initiatives in collaboration with PwC Malaysia, brought together global experts who used a comprehensive framework to assess businesses on sustainability strategy and performance across 12 areas.
“Our achievements at the SBA 2018 is a testament to HEINEKEN Malaysia’s commitment in embracing sustainability from Barley to Bar. We also go beyond our operations to ensure we do our part as a responsible corporate citizen to protect the planet and create value for our stakeholders,” said HEINEKEN Malaysia managing director Roland Bala.
He said protecting water resources is a core priority for the company and added that HEINEKEN Malaysia will continue championing the water stewardship agenda, focused on mitigating the impact of its operations and balancing the water it uses by investing in water.
From 2014 to 2017, HEINEKEN Malaysia reduced water usage in its Sungei Way Brewery in Petaling Jaya by 16.2%, attributed to improved efficiencies in brewing and packaging, which reduced wastage.
However, HEINEKEN Malaysia’s water conservation initiatives go beyond its immediate operations, extending into water stewardship projects through strategic partnerships.
HEINEKEN Malaysia’s Corporate Affairs and Legal Director Renuka Indrarajah said over the past 11 years, the company has invested approximately RM8.5 million in driving water conservation projects in Malaysia.
“Through SPARK Foundation’s W.A.T.E.R Project, which brings together local government agencies, NGOs, and local communities, we have engaged more than 40,000 Malaysians to take charge of conserving rivers, our most important water resource.
“We also adopted six rivers (Sg. Way, Sg. Penchala, and Sg. Selangor in Selangor, as well as Sg. Senam, Sg. Buntong, and Sg. Kledang in Perak) and set up 12 active river care communities to conserve rivers that flow through their areas,” she said.
