INFO
Jerrycan of Bintang hand sanitiser Multi Bintang, Indonesia
Kitashi
polyethylene, paper
2020
29 x 18 x 13 cm
The social side of beer
How has HEINEKEN fared since the coronavirus pandemic began in February 2020? From a business perspective, the years have been far from easy, and the global after-effects are still being felt. Everywhere , revenues from bars, restaurants, and exports plummeted, while the cost of raw materials soared to unprecedented heights. Yet, as history has shown before, it is precisely in times of crisis that the company’s social heart comes to the fore.
HEINEKEN’s subsidiaries were quick to roll out health and safety initiatives around the world. One of the clever ways they did this was by putting their production facilities to work. The alcohol normally taken out of beer to brew alcohol-free varieties was now used to produce hand sanitiser — by the barrelful!
Handwashing
This jerrycan of disinfectant hand gel from Heineken’s Indonesian brewery, Multi Bintang, is one example. In this case, the production of sanitiser was linked to a nationwide hygiene campaign for the local population. Educators went door to door, showing people the right way to wash their hands.
We Are HEINEKEN
Under the banner ‘Care for people and the planet,’ similar initiatives sprang up across the world — for example at Heineken México . At the Belgian subsidiary Stassen Cidrerie, around 3,000 litres of used alcohol were collected and processed into hand gel by a company in Purmerend. No fewer than a quarter of a million bottles were distributed to hospitals in Belgium and the Netherlands to help plug the shortages . At the same time, HEINEKEN subsidiaries supported their local communities with essentials such as face masks, social assistance, or cash donations. In several countries, initiatives were also developed to support the hospitality sector.
A little love
In the Netherlands, HEINEKEN launched #helpdehoreca, with its own platform where consumers could buy vouchers for bars and restaurants, supported by several commercials — an initiative that later spread worldwide. But employees themselves weren’t forgotten during the pandemic either. On Valentine’s Day 2021, Heineken Netherlands Supply organised the HNS Lovedown Roadshow to cheer up colleagues working from home. With Senior Director Maarten Koudenburg playing the role of ‘Doctor Love,’ the Management Team and two communications advisers hit the road — visiting places such as Zoeterwoude and Vlijmen — to deliver a little love (and some beer) right to people’s doorsteps.