Brewing is energy  and water intensive. Much of this resource use remains constant regardless of how much beer is produced, as equipment still needs to be cleaned, cooled and maintained even at lower production volumes.

That’s why the progress made by our DB Draught team in Timaru is especially impressive. Over the past 2 years, the team has improved the efficiency of water and energy use, despite falling production volumes and the installation of a new onsite wastewater treatment plant.

As older equipment was replaced, including the refrigeration system, the team took the chance to rethink how energy was used. From our internal, unaudited data, 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, reaching 2.74 hL/hL in 2025 (2024: 3.18 hL/hL; 2023: 3.46 hL/hL), and is now well on track to meet HEINEKEN’s revised 2030 stretch target of using 2.6 litres of water for every litre of beer produced.

Improvements were also made to cleaning routines. Schedules, equipment cleaning order and chemical use were reviewed and adjusted to reduce water waste, while still meeting strict quality standards to support the water savings made in 2025.

The team is confident it can maintain this momentum and achieve further efficiency in 2026 and beyond.