HEINEKEN Malaysia’s sustainability journey is a testament to decades of ambition, collaboration, and innovation—not just quick wins. In 2025, the company’s commitment was recognised with six major awards across The Star ESG Positive Impact Awards and the Sustainability & CSR Malaysia Awards, celebrating achievements in renewable energy, water management, waste management, and overall corporate sustainability. The company was also honoured at The Edge Billion Ringgit Club 2025 for best corporate responsibility initiatives in the category of companies with a market capitalisation below RM10 billion.

Each award marks a milestone under the company’s Brew a Better World (BaBW) 2030 sustainability strategy — an ambitious roadmap embedding environmental stewardship, social sustainability, and responsible consumption at the core of its business.

More importantly, it reflects the power of partnerships with NGOs, suppliers, and local communities, proving that impact multiplies when businesses collaborate.

Martijn van Keulen, Managing Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia shared, “This year marks meaningful progress as we demonstrate the impact of long-term, purpose-driven initiatives. As we remain on track towards our Brew a Better World (BaBW) 2030 ambitions, these awards reflect the progress made and the milestones we have achieved. Through our BaBW strategy, we strive to create value beyond our business for the benefit of people and the planet.”

Renuka Indrarajah, Corporate Affairs and Legal Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia, added, “Our BaBW sustainability strategy is anchored in three pillars: environmental sustainability, social sustainability and responsible consumption. Progress of these pillars is driven by purposeful partnerships with NGOs, suppliers, and communities. Through collaborations with like-minded partners, we’ve driven meaningful impact, especially in water within our operations and beyond our brewery walls. We hope to inspire other corporates to capitalise on strategic partnerships in their ESG journey.”

HEINEKEN Malaysia’s ambition is clear: to achieve net zero in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 and Scope 3 emissions by 2040. In 2022, HEINEKEN Malaysia subscribed to Tenaga Nasional Berhad’s Green Electricity Tariff (GET) programme, enabling 100% renewable electricity use and significantly cutting Scope 2 emissions. In 2024, HEINEKEN Malaysia installed 3,500 mono-PERC solar panels on the Sungei Way Brewery roof, covering over 9,000 square metres. Sustainability innovation at HEINEKEN Malaysia includes using biogas from its wastewater treatment plant as renewable thermal energy — a prime example of circular economy in action. Overall, the Company reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions in production by 36% compared to its 2022 baseline and recorded a 7% reduction in total energy consumption compared to 2023.

Water is essential for brewing — and it is also a shared resource that sustains communities, agriculture, and ecosystems.

The company’s water strategy, Towards Healthy Watersheds and Nature, integrates both internal and external approaches to support water security. Internally, it focuses on the efficient use of water resources within production processes. Externally, it extends beyond the brewery walls, actively contributing to the health of local watersheds through public private partnership.

Beyond operations, the Company replenished 209% of the water used in its products through water balancing efforts. In practice, this means that for every litre of water used in its products, 1.5 litres are replenished into local watersheds through initiatives such as reforestation, river rehabilitation, and rainwater harvesting.

These efforts are delivered through the flagship Working Actively Through Education and Rehabilitation (W.A.T.E.R) Project, spearheaded by the SPARK Foundation, HEINEKEN Malaysia’s corporate responsibility arm, in collaboration with the Global Environment Centre (GEC).

One of the project’s notable successes has been the transformation of the Sungei Way River, which improved from heavily polluted (Class IV–V) to a healthier Class III, now capable of sustaining aquatic life. Other initiatives include reforesting degraded peatland to enhance biodiversity and soil water retention, as well as installing 33 rainwater harvesting systems in urban and rural communities to strengthen water security.

Overall, HEINEKEN Malaysia has improved water consumption by 29% compared to the 2014 baseline year, achieving a water usage rate of 3.06 hl/hl in 2024 and steadily progressing towards its 2030 target of 2.6 hl/hl and treats 100% if its wastewater.

Since 2017, the company has maintained zero waste to landfill, ensuring all production waste is fully recycled or upcycled as part of its circularity practices.

In 2024, it further reduced single-use plastic by 108 tonnes by replacing secondary packaging for its locally manufactured products with paper-based materials.

These initiatives underscore a clear philosophy: sustainability is about closing the loop — keeping materials in circulation and reducing waste to a minimum.

People are at the heart of HEINEKEN Malaysia. The company fosters a diverse, inclusive, and empowering workplace where every individual can thrive. Its priorities include employee wellbeing, enhancing gender balance, promoting inclusive leadership, and supporting professional growth. With women comprising 43% of the Board and 38% of the Management Team, HEINEKEN Malaysia has exceeded the Government’s target for gender representation at the senior management level. These achievements reflect the company’s ambition to creating opportunities for all. To build a strong talent pipeline, HEINEKEN Malaysia offers diverse training and development programmes, short-term international assignments, and the HEINEKEN Global Graduate Programme, which provides comprehensive exposure across the business over 18 months.

HEINEKEN Malaysia places equal emphasis on building resilient communities through its social sustainability pillar.

HEINEKEN Cares began in 2021 as a COVID-19 relief effort and has since evolved into a long-term empowerment programme focused on clean water and food security. In 2024, it supported four community projects with NGOs like Hopes Malaysia and Soroptimist International, helping expand access to water, improve food resilience, and provide livelihood training.

Long-term collaborations have further amplified this impact. The Tiger Sin Chew Chinese Education Charity Concert (Tiger Sin Chew CECC) — a partnership with Sin Chew Daily since 1994 — has raised more than RM427 million for Chinese education in Malaysia, including RM19 million in 2024 alone. By blending cultural celebration with fundraising, the concerts not only strengthen access to education but also bring communities together.

HEINEKEN Malaysia also champions responsible consumption, encouraging moderation and promoting safe choices.

Through collaborations with an e-hailing service provider, the Company distributed over RM140,000 worth of promo codes during festive seasons and brand events in 2024, giving consumers safer alternatives to celebrate responsibly.

More than 10% of Heineken®’s media budget is allocated to moderation campaigns such as When You Drive, Never Drink. Working with creative agencies, event organisers, and even e-sports communities, HEINEKEN Malaysia brings these messages to life in engaging and relatable ways. The Player 0.0 initiative, for instance, uses a mobile racing simulator to spark conversations with Malaysians about moderate drinking and making safe choices.

On a global scale, HEINEKEN N.V., the parent company of HEINEKEN Malaysia, continues to lead by example, ranking among the top 500 in TIME Magazine’s World’s Most Sustainable Companies 2025.

Locally, the true measure of success lies in the enduring partnerships that made them possible. From restoring rivers to advancing renewable energy and supporting livelihoods in local communities, each initiative is rooted in collaboration, reflecting a shared its purpose to Brew the Joy of True Togetherness to Inspire a Better World.