Global drinks company Heineken is participating in a new scheme set up by United Utilities and Business in the Community to make businesses aware that action on water needs to be taken seriously to save every drop for the future.

Beer contains 95% water and Heineken is planning to save it by reducing water consumption and balancing water demand. To support the scheme, Heineken aims to reduce water consumption in its breweries by 25% and distribute water in a balanced way by 2020. The firm is also sourcing a water protection plan for water scarce and distressed areas within the brewery.

Heineken says that as one of the world’s largest brewers it recognises that it has a responsibility to promote responsible water use and encourage their suppliers to do the same. The beer brand believes water is central to everyone’s needs and plays an important part within communities and ecosystems. Marc Gross, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Heineken, commented:

“We are clearly making progress. As a global company we can be leaders in effective water usage.”

The breweries will also become more water efficient by switching from kegging to canning and have introduced SmartDispense to remove the need for cellar cooling by chilling the beer as it leaves the keg, rather than chilling the surrounding environment. This will reduce the need to clean beer lines from once a week to once every four weeks, saving the average pub around 12,000 pints of water every year.

Christopher Matthews, Head of Sustainability at United Utilities, said:

‘I think it’s fantastic that companies like Heineken are taking action to reduce their water use. It is a perfect example that an organisation can see the value to tackling their water management issues. ‘They have already identified the materials they need to save water and are taking action to reduce costs even more.”