KUALA LUMPUR (March 23): Heineken Malaysia Bhd has reaffirmed its commitment to becoming 100% balanced for water used in its production as it reinforced its sustainability commitment.

In a statement today in conjunction with World Water Day, the brewer said it had sharpened its focus on water-related efforts by adopting the Every Drop Strategy, a triangular approach that looks at water protection in a more holistic manner.

The firm said through the Every Drop Strategy, it will channel its efforts to fully balance water used for its products, for wastewater treatment and to reduce water usage in production.

Heineken Malaysia managing director Roland Bala said water is a key ingredient in beer brewing, and it is truly important that the water source is protected to ensure availability of high-quality water for beer.

He said that oftentimes, water is taken for granted as it is ever flowing.

“But it is a crucial shared resource that we need to protect together to ensure we have a continuous supply of clean water because every drop matters.

“There is no doubt that water is essential to our business, and in doing our part, we ensure that 100% of our wastewater is treated before returning the clean water back to its source.

“Our works in the past have been river rehabilitation, but we have come to realise that there is an even greater need now to look at watershed health protection in a more holistic manner,” he said.

Meanwhile, Heineken Malaysia corporate affairs and legal director Renuka Indrarajah said World Water Day is an important day to reflect on care for the environment.

Indrarajah, who is also a trustee of the brewer’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm SPARK Foundation, said the firm had made significant strides in protecting water resources since 2007.

“Through the SPARK Foundation, we have invested close to RM19.5 million in protecting our water resources.

“To date, we have rehabilitated five rivers, supported over 6,000 people with alternative water systems in Selangor and Sabah, installed water thimbles in 407 households along Sungai Selangor and Sungai Penchala, and reforested one hectare of degraded peatland and built a 305-metre clay dyke in the Raja Musa Forest Reserve to help store up to 140 million litres of water for Sungai Selangor annually,” she said.

At 10.40am today, Heineken was unchanged at RM25.74, valuing it at RM7.78 billion.