Our business is one that has long been at the heart of communities, both through brewing and cider making as well as our links to the pub trade, and HEINEKEN in the UK has a strong history of contributing to these communities.
HEINEKEN in the UK is the first ever alcohol company to achieve the CommunityMark.
As well as opportunities to encourage alcohol responsibility, we focus on building long term relationships especially with communities where we have major HEINEKEN sites.
Business in the Community's CommunityMark is the UK's only national standard that recognises excellence in community investment. HEINEKEN in the UK is the first ever alcohol company to achieve the CommunityMark.
Local Sourcing
HEINEKEN in the UK will source as much as possible locally to get the best performance in terms of agriculture, supply chain and carbon footprint. We aim to maintain an effective and ethical supply chain. As well as implementing improvements in our own operations, we also work with suppliers who share our values.
HEINEKEN in the UK's Ethical Procurement Standards outlines our commitment to ethical sourcing and what we would like our suppliers to achieve and promote within their own supply chains.
We consider integrity and reliability as essential preconditions for sustainable business. Our commitment to our suppliers is that we will:
- Promote an open, fair and competitive business environment
- Expect compliance with all relevant and applicable laws and regulations
- Encourage continuous improvement
- Work collaboratively with our suppliers in pursuit of these standards
Assess potential suppliers against a wide range of criteria including:
- Management capability and financial strength
- Ability to deliver enduring quality and value
- Commitment to innovation
- Environmental performance
- Commitment to corporate responsibility
- Meet our suppliers regularly to review our business relationships, share ideas and encourage best practice
- Encourage feedback on HEINEKEN in the UK as a customer and welcome feedback on how we can improve our policies and processes
Sustainable Agriculture
We want to ensure that we have full insight of where we source our raw materials and understand how they meet brewing and sustainable sourcing criteria.
- 30% of all apples grown in the UK are used by HEINEKEN, and two thirds of all cider apples
- All of the barley used in the brewing of HEINEKEN's beer in the UK is grown in the UK
- More than 95% of our beer sold in the UK is brewed in the UK
- Through heavy investment at our site in Herefordshire, Hereford is now regarded as the global centre of excellence for cider production.
Corporate Social Investment
HEINEKEN in the UK uses our community investment to deliver both business and community value. As well as seeking opportunities to encourage alcohol responsibility, we focus on building long term relationships especially with communities, especially where we have major HEINEKEN sites.
We work collaboratively to identify activities that address community priorities and are linked to our business objectives. We work with partners to define clear objectives, measures and targets for our project activity. We also identify opportunities to contribute more than funds, such as our networks or skills, so that we can involve employees in our relationships.
We recognise that community activities can increase employee engagement, encourage inter-departmental and inter-site interaction and provide challenging individual and team development opportunities. We also support our employees' own charitable fundraising efforts, through Fundraising Support, and enable charitable donations to be made directly from their pay through the GAYE scheme.
Economic Impact Assessment
Through HEINEKEN in the UK's Economic Impact programme, we will demonstrate the economic value of HEINEKEN to markets. In the UK, our economic contribution is significant.
Our sites are key employers in many of the communities in which we operate. We consult with local communities and our workforce, particularly when making major changes such as the closure of a brewery.
Our indirect economic impacts on our supply chain are also significant.