‘We are challenged to think creatively’: Drinks giants raise doubts over water targets

Heineken, AB Inbev and Carlsberg highlight challenges in latest sustainability reports

Heineken has warned that increased water stress is threatening to put its sustainability targets out of reach. 

In the last year alone, the Dutch beverage giant reported a 28% jump in the number of its sites recognised as being in water-stressed areas.   

The leap between 2023 and 2024 was driven by new assessments of India and France.

Heineken plans to replenish as much water as it uses in water-stressed areas by 2030, and has already achieved the goal at 29% of relevant sites. 

But, it admitted, the work is becoming more difficult.  

“As the number of sites in scope increases, it is harder to achieve our goals and we are challenged to think creatively and to partner with diverse stakeholders to identify projects and drive collective action,” Heineken wrote in its latest sustainability statement.   

Drinks rival AB Inbev also raised doubts about its ability to meet its 2025 water target.   

Its CSRD report explains that, while it has become 17% more efficient at its 36 water-stressed sites since 2017, it is yet to reach its 2025 target of using two hectolitres of water for every hectolitre of drink it produces (2.0 hl/hl). 

The Belgian firm hit 2.32hl/hl last year and said it “may face challenges to reaching [its] ambition by 2025”. 

Danish brewer Carlsberg discussed similar headwinds, claiming increased output and a lack of guidance has thwarted its efforts. 

The company has pledged to achieve a water efficiency ratio of 2.0 hl/hl globally by the end of the decade, and 1.7 hl/hl at breweries in high-risk areas. 

So far, it has reached 2.5 hl/hl and 2.2 hl/hl, respectively – marking improvements of up to 44% since 2015. 

But the firm admitted the progress was “slightly less than expected, due to production volume increases in less water-efficient regions and a lack of consistent best practice implementation”. 

It said it was “confident” it would make further gains this year.  

Carlsberg began working on becoming ‘water neutral’ in 2022, and plans to replenish all the water its breweries consume in high-risk locations by 2030.  

Its 2024 report showed it had replenished 16%.