Beer company Heineken announced a series of emissions reduction goals, including new targets to decarbonise its own production by 2030 and its full value chain by 2040. According to the company, the new commitments are the first in a series of refreshed ambitions under the Heineken’s SDG-focused Brew a Better World Sustainability Strategy.

Dolf Van Den Brink, Heineken Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO said:

“In this Decade of Action, we are committing to accelerating our actions to address climate change. 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.”

Heineken stated that it is working closely with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) on its new climate commitments. Its new goals include achieving carbon neutrality at all production sites by 2030, by maximising energy efficiency and renewable energy use.

For its longer-term ambition, Heineken will focus on actions to reduce its carbon footprint “from barley to bar,” becoming to be the first global brewer to aim for carbon neutrality in its full value chain.

Van Den Brink said:

“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’s new goals align with a series of environmental sustainability initiatives already underway at the company. Since 2008, the company has reduced carbon emissions per hectoliter in its breweries by 51%, and the company has been actively working towards achieving a transition to renewable energy. The company achieved 100% green energy-powered beer production for the Dutch market in July 2020, and in August announced that it will produce all of its products in Spain using renewable electricity by 2023.

Additionally, Heineken announced that it has joined several net zero and renewable energy-focused organizations, including the Business Ambition for 1.5C, the Race to Zero and RE100.

Van Den Brink added:

“We know that HEINEKEN can only thrive if our planet and our communities thrive. I want to thank our deeply committed employees for their passion for this topic. Together, we will do our part to brew a better world.”