KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 3): Heineken Malaysia Bhd has bagged the Green Leadership Award at the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) 2021, underlining its water stewardship efforts that culminated in the brewer balancing more than 100% of the water used in its products in 2020.

Commenting on the award which was presented virtually yesterday, Heineken Malaysia managing director Roland Bala said the brewer has an ambitious target to balance 1.5 litres for every one litre of water used in making its products.

He said that in 2020, through initiatives like river and peatland conservation, rainwater harvesting, reforestation, and other community initiatives, the company achieved 267% versus its water balancing target, reaching this milestone 10 years ahead of its 2030 commitment.

“The recognition from AREA 2021 adds to our solid track record in sustainability as we continue investing in initiatives that keep us on track to brew a sustainable future for our people, business and planet,” he said.

Heineken Malaysia corporate affairs and legal director Renuka Indrarajah, who received the award virtually, said that since 2007, the company has invested close to RM13.5 million in protecting water resources, and to date, has adopted six rivers, supported over 6,000 people with alternative water systems in Selangor and Sabah, installed over 1,000 water thimbles in more than 500 households that save over 11.5 million litres of water in the Sungai Penchala, Sungai Way and Sungai Selangor river basins annually, reforested one hectare of degraded peatland and built a 305-metre clay dyke in Raja Musa Forest Reserve to help store up to 140 million litres of water annually.

“Our water stewardship initiatives are independently quantified and verified by LimnoTech, a leading international environmental science and engineering firm based in the USA.

“Water is indeed a precious resource and we are committed to do more to foster wider participation from various stakeholders including government, industries and communities to drive collective action.

“Together, we can be part of the solution to safeguard the sustainability of our water sources,” she said.

At the midday break today, Heineken gained two sen to RM22.92, valuing it at RM6.92 billion.