HEINEKEN Vietnam continues sustainability ambitions amid challenging times

Ho Chi Minh City, September 10, 2024 – Today, HEINEKEN Vietnam officially updates the company’s progress in sustainability in 2023, highlighting its continued efforts and achievements toward "Brewing a Better Vietnam” – despite a challenging year.

 

“Sustainability has always been central to how HEINEKEN Vietnam runs our business,” – shares Ms. Tran Ngoc Anh, Corporate Affairs Director, HEINEKEN Vietnam. “Amid the external challenges in 2023, we got adapted quickly to the new business landscape. Thanks to the creativity and solidarity of our team and the collective efforts we made with our trusted partners, we were able to continue our actions for sustainability and contribute our part to Vietnam’s economy, society, and environment”. 

In 2023, HEINEKEN Vietnam supported a total of 172,500 jobs throughout our entire value chain and contributed an equivalent of 0.5% GDP to the local economy. The company also achieved significant progress across its three key sustainability pillars - Environment, Society, and Responsible Consumption.

 

Under the Environmental pillar, HEINEKEN Vietnam in 2023 accelerated its energy transition plan, currently using 99% renewable energy in production - a notable increase from 96% in 2022. The ambition to transition to renewable energy has resulted in a 93% reduction in carbon emissions compared to 2018. Toward the future, in alignment with the Vietnamese Government’s sustainable development goals, HEINEKEN Vietnam is also exploring some bolder renewable electricity solutions – including Direct Power Purchase Agreement (DPPA) and solar energy systems. In addition, by maximizing circularity in production, HEINEKEN Vietnam has achieved the goal of sending zero waste to landfill across all its breweries, while working towards improving post-consumer packaging collection and recycling. In 2023, these rates were recorded at 97% for bottles and 99% for crates.

  

At the same time, through a holistic approach, HEINEKEN Vietnam continued during the past year its water conserving efforts in the Red, Dong Nai and Tien River basins, in collaboration with WWF-Vietnam and partners. With a total investment of 30 billion VND funded by HEINEKEN Vietnam, this multi-year (2022 – 2025) partnership program works to protect critical watersheds and conserve 3 billion liters of water a year. This initiative is also an important milestone on HEINEKEN Vietnam’s journey to becoming water balanced in water-stressed areas, meaning the company will return to the environment the amount of water used in products brewed at its Tien Giang brewery.

Under the Social pillar, HEINEKEN Vietnam has continued to grow with Vietnamese people and be part of the local communities. Ahead of the Lunar New Year 2024, the company, in collaboration with the Vietnam Red Cross Society, rolled out “HEINEKEN Cares - Joining Hands, toward a happy and healthy Tet” program. With a total investment of 6.1 billion VND, the program provided free medical checkups, packages of Tet essentials, and meaningful activities in the spirit of sharing and togetherness to 5,300 disadvantaged people in 31 locations nationwide. At the workplace, HEINEKEN Vietnam has stayed strongly committed to promoting a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion – with equal development opportunities for its employees.

 

Under the pillar of Responsible Consumption, the company continued to expand its collaboration, diversifying approaches to foster positive changes in consumers' drinking habits. Initiatives like the "0.0 Rest Stop" on the highway, or the "Alcohol-Free Week" in Ho Chi Minh City during the 2023 festive season continued to raise awareness for "When you drive, never drink" while promoting Heineken® 0.0 as another option when social gatherings among local people were at their peak. 

Highlighted sustainability achievements by HEINEKEN Vietnam in 2023 include:  

Path to Zero Impact:

• 99% renewable energy in production. 
• Zero waste to landfill across all breweries.  
• 30 billion VND committed to water conservation.  

Path to Inclusive, Fair and Equitable World:

• 50% brewery managers are women. 
• 100% compliance to equal pay and fair living wages. 
• 6.1 billion VND supported disadvantaged communities.  

Path to Moderation and No Harmful Use:

• Heineken® 0.0 accelerated in Vietnam.
• 13^th year partnership with the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) to address drink-driving. 
• “0.0 Rest Stop” and “Alcohol-free Week” implemented. 

For its continued efforts in sustainability, HEINEKEN Vietnam was once again recognized among the top 3 most sustainable companies in Vietnam (in the manufacturing sector) at the Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI) Ranking by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), for 8 consecutive years in 2023. The company was also honored in the top 5 pioneering businesses in circularity and decarbonization in Vietnam in 2023. 

To learn more about HEINEKEN Vietnam’s sustainability actions in 2023, please click here.