I’m pleased to share a look back at DB Breweries’ 2025 sustainability and responsibility work as we continue building on our commitment to caring for our people, communities and the environment.

When I joined DB in late 2025, I was impressed and pleased to learn how deeply our business is committed to sustainability and responsibility through our Brewing a Better Aotearoa strategy.

This commitment has been part of DB’s DNA for many years and is clearly aligned to our parent company HEINEKEN’s goals for brewing a better world.

Our approach to sustainability reporting has evolved each year. This time, we’ve chosen to focus on the goals we set and how we performed against them, reflecting the fact that our work in sustainability and responsibility is no longer a separate project but simply part of how we do business at DB. We will also share case studies of initiatives that we are particularly proud of, in the hope that they inspire others and encourage them to continue their own sustainability and responsibility journey despite difficult economic times.

For me, 2025 delivered two standout achievements:

• Despite falling production volumes at our DB Draught Brewery in Timaru, the team has managed to make significant efficiency gains in energy and water consumption – no mean feat in the resource-hungry process of brewing beer. Between 2023 and 2025, heat use dropped by 17% and electricity use fell by 12%. By adopting HEINEKEN’s global best practice and closely tracking water use, the team has successfully reduced water consumption by 20% over the same period.
• The second was a significant step forward in our decarbonisation journey – in 2025, we reached a 67% reduction in our gross scope 1 and 2 emissions in production compared to our 2018 baseline.

We set ourselves ambitious goals in 2025, and although we achieved strong momentum in many areas, we didn’t get everything over the line – including confirming the sustainable sourcing of our sugar. We’re now working with our supplier to complete a third-party audit so we can provide full assurance.

Towards an even more sustainable and responsible future

As we grow our business and achieve our longer-term strategy, I am keenly aware of our need to also continue reducing our impact on the environment and the communities in which we operate.

We have yet again set ourselves ambitious targets for using resources in the most efficient way possible, particularly water, with a new 2030 target of 2.6 hL/hL from 2026 (2025 target: 2.9 hL/hL).

Importantly for our business – and something I care deeply about – is how we continue to lead the evolution of responsible drinking and grow the low- and no-alcohol category, where we have a powerful leadership role to play. This momentum aligns directly with the responsibility pillar of our Brewing a Better Aotearoa strategy.

As the country’s largest integrated brewing and hospitality business, we have a meaningful opportunity to support more Kiwis to socialise responsibly and benefit from the joy of connection and togetherness, no matter the drink they choose. In 2026 and beyond, we’ll be building on this role in a way that benefits both DB and the communities we serve.

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support, and I hope you enjoy reading about some of what we achieved in 2025.

Peter

Peter Hart
Managing Director, DB Breweries