NIRAS partners with Heineken to support carbon reduction efforts at breweries
HEINEKEN, the world’s most international brewer, has achieved a new milestone in its journey to Net Zero, signing three additional partners, Arcadis, NIRAS and Royal HaskoningDHV, for its global Net Zero Production programme. These partners will bring technical expertise to support HEINEKEN’s global ambition to reach net zero in scope 1 and 2 by 2030. (3)
HEINEKEN’s strategy to reduce emissions in its operations focuses on reducing the energy demand at production and logistics sites and transitioning to renewable energy. HEINEKEN will collaborate with Arcadis, NIRAS and Royal HaskoningDHV on long-term decarbonisation programmes, building on HEINEKEN’s previously announced collaboration with Siemens that identified significant energy savings at a typical HEINEKEN brewery.
HEINEKEN will work with NIRAS to implement a range of industry proven Net Zero solutions across HEINEKEN’s production facilities in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The international, multi-disciplinary NIRAS team is collaborating with both the HEINEKEN global and local teams to implement these robust solutions in accordance with their structured approach.
Magne Setnes, chief supply chain officer at Heineken, commented: “Our partners bring us expertise in their field, knowledge of the best available technology solutions and an outside-in view of the problems we are trying to solve – skills that are paramount to helping HEINEKEN achieve our ambition. Reaching Net Zero in Scope 1 & 2 by 2030 cannot be accomplished in isolation. Collaboration with experts like Arcadis, NIRAS and Royal HaskoningDHV is essential to reach this milestone at the speed and scale we need.”
Thomas B. Olsen, NIRAS’ executive vice president, said: “We are delighted to be able to support HEINEKEN in their i-NZP programme and continue our longstanding cooperation. Sustainability is key to NIRAS and we have invested in building knowledge around this area for many years. By combining this with our deep insight and experience within brewing, we look forward to supporting HEINEKEN’s global ambitions to reach net-zero on scope 1 & 2.”
The Integrated Net Zero Production programme was launched to help tackle 88% of HEINEKEN’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions that come from beverage production, with the aim of establishing a cross-functional team of internal experts and external suppliers to drive progress.
Together with Siemens, Arcadis, NIRAS and Royal HaskoningDHV and other strategic partners, HEINEKEN will redesign the energy systems of many of the brewer’s sites. More than 40 HEINEKEN sites are already part of the programme, with a plan to involve more sites by 2025.
In 2023 HEINEKEN’s net zero and FLAG (Forest, Land and Agriculture) targets were approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), becoming the first global brewer to pass this sustainability milestone. For complete details on HEINEKEN’s science-based targets, see SBTi’s website.
(1) Net Zero is defined by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as a minimum of 90% emissions reductions across scopes 1, 2, and 3. A maximum of 10% residual emissions that cannot be eliminated otherwise must be
(2) Based on internal estimates vs. 2022 baseline.
(3) HEINEKEN has defined this goal as a 90% emissions reduction across scope 1 and 2. A maximum of 10% residual emissions that cannot be eliminated otherwise must be covered with permanent carbon removal and storage solutions.
