HEINEKEN Romania has published the latest sustainability report, which reflects the company’s progress in 2023 regarding the objectives set by the global sustainability strategy, Brew a Better World 2030, on the three main directions of action: Environment, Social and Responsible Consumption.
Currently having three breweries in Romania, in Miercurea Ciuc, Ungheni and Craiova, HEINEKEN Romania had, in 2023, 1,077 employees, locally produced over 4.3 million hectoliters of beer and cider and collaborated with over 600 local suppliers of goods and services, purchasing over 70% of the main raw materials from suppliers in the country. At the same time, the company is a constant contributor to the Romanian economy, having in 2023 tax contributions of over 452 million RON.
“Sustainability is at the core of HEINEKEN Romania’s activity, being integrated into our EverGreen business strategy. We are constantly investing in projects that help us improve our sustainability performance, and we won’t stop there. We are committed to continue this journey towards achieving the objectives of our Brew a Better World sustainability strategy for the three pillars – Environment, Social and Responsible Consumption,” says Thibaut Boidin, Managing Director, HEINEKEN Romania.
Among the most important results achieved by HEINEKEN Romania at the local level, in 2023, are:
- ENVIRONMENT
Globally, the HEINEKEN Group’s ambition is to reach Net Zero carbon emissions by 2040 across the entire value chain. The company also focuses its efforts both on reducing water consumption in its operations and on reducing the impact of the packaging placed on the market and sending the generated waste to recycling.
Net Zero CO2 emissions
- Reduction by 5.47% of electricity consumption, by 14% of thermal energy consumption and by 13.54% of natural gas consumption
- Increasing truck loading and gradually replacing LPG forklifts with electric models
- Abandoning Diesel cars (only 15% still had this engine at the end of 2023)
- The gradual replacement of old refrigerators with energy class C according to the Energy Efficiency Index
Management of packaging and generated waste
- Sending over 96% of the waste generated in production to recycling
- Reducing the weight of metal staples used on all products packaged in glass
- 18% reduction in the weight of a glass package from our portfolio
- Replacing cardboard packaging for multi-packs with a variant that uses less material and removing the label on the back of bottles for local brands
- Supporting the establishment of the Guarantee-Return-System (SGR)), the largest circular economy project in Romania, by providing financial support, being one of the founders of RetuRO, the company that administers the system
Water management
- Reduction by 11.58% of water consumption in production, from 3.54 to 3.13 hl/hl
- Water reuse in other production processes
- SOCIAL
HEINEKEN Romania supports the creation of a safe work environment, based on fairness and inclusion, offering equal opportunities for promotion and a fair salary to its employees. Moreover, the company is involved in supporting community initiatives by developing partnerships with non-governmental organizations and supporting traditional sports teams in the areas where HEINEKEN factories are located.
- 33% of senior management positions were held by women
- 100% of managers were trained in inclusive management
- Providing equal opportunities so that there are no discrepancies between the salaries of men and women
- Providing a fair and equitable salary package
- More than 2 million lei invested for initiatives of non-governmental organizations
- RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION
HEINEKEN Romania supports and promotes the responsible consumption of alcohol. The company acts in this sense through programs dedicated to prevention and programs that address the harmful consumption of alcohol, through actions at the level of the product portfolio, offering alcohol-free alternatives and through transparent product labeling.
- 7 options with 0.0 alcohol (Heineken® 0.0, Birra Moretti 0.0, four variants Ciuc Radler 0.0 and Golden Brau 0.0)
- More than 600,000 lei invested in programs that address harmful consumption in 2023 by supporting the Allied NGO for Mental Health (ALIAT) and the Alcohelp program
- Promoting campaigns that encourage responsible consumption
