29 November 2019
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Heineken Ireland – which is headquartered in Cork City, due to it taking over the Murphy’s Lady’s Well brewery – has been named as winner of the Sustainability Project Impact Award at Bord Bia’s prestigious Food and Drink Awards. The award recognises companies that have planned and executed significant sustainability commitments in relation to sourcing, resource efficiency, health & nutrition and their contributions to their local communities.
The win comes one year after HEINEKEN Ireland became the first drinks company in Ireland to be awarded Business in the Community’s Business Working Responsibly Mark. Globally, HEINEKEN’s sustainability agenda has been guided for over 10 years by its ‘Brewing a Better World’ global sustainability strategy.
The successful implementation of ‘Brewing a Better World’ in Ireland saw the company announce a 58% reduction in CO2 production since 2008 earlier this year, far exceeding its own 20% target. The brewer also revealed that 100% of the electricity used in the production of its beers and ciders at its Leitrim Street brewery in Cork is now derived from renewable sources. HEINEKEN Ireland is a signatory to Business in the Community’s Low Carbon Pledge and a founding member of REPAK.
Announcing HEINEKEN Ireland as category winners, Bord Bia’s panel of judges remarked: “Heineken successfully illustrated excellence in both corporate and public sustainability, outlining six areas of focus and detailing significant improvements in all areas at its Cork brewery site. Their entry clearly demonstrated the impact of Heineken’s projects on raw material sourcing, manufacturing processes and social sustainability across the corporation, ultimately benefiting the business, the customer and the environment. Most remarkable was the reduction in CO2 emissions”.
Bord Bia Food Awards .
Pictured is Kathryn D’Arcy, Corporate Affairs Director and Dervla Arthurs, Brand Manager, Moderation, Innovation and Quality , Heineken Ireland.
Photo Chris Bellew /Fennell Photography Copyright 2019
Bord Bia Food Awards .
Pictured is Kathryn D’Arcy, Corporate Affairs Director and Dervla Arthurs, Brand Manager, Moderation, Innovation and Quality , Heineken Ireland.
Photo Chris Bellew /Fennell Photography Copyright 2019
Reacting to the win, Kathryn D’Arcy, director of corporate affairs, said: “This award marks the culmination of years of hard work in sustainability. The deadline on our current set of sustainability targets is 2020 and it is with real pride that we arrive at these deadlines having surpassed several of those targets ahead of time. Setting our new 2030 targets has allowed us to renew our commitment and double down on our ambition in sustainability. To receive this award just as we start out on this phase of our sustainability journey assures us we are on the right path and inspires us to pursue our fresh goals with a renewed sense of determination and possibility.”
