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Heineken® has broken the tradition of its long-standing bottle design, which is the same in over 192 countries, to launch a refreshed design of the 650ml returnable bottle that is exclusive to Mzansi – a global first design.
The new bottle, dubbed the star bottle, is part of the brand's move to a 65% returnable glass for its beer portfolio in 2024.
"As a brand, we understand the impact of having a one-way bottle in the market and when not recycled properly, it often litters our communities. That is why we launched a returnable bottle," said Bhavna Mistry, Senior Brand Manager at Heineken®.
This move to a returnable bottle is part of the brand's investment into a more sustainable and eco-friendly business model. For its Sedibeng brewery, the company invested in a state-of-the-art solar power plant with over 14 000 panels and a state-of-the-art water reclamation facility in 2022. With this investment, the brewery was able to reduce its carbon emissions by around 30% and achieve an energy-generating capacity of 6.5 megawatts.
"Heineken globally has a massive, bold ambition about brewing a better world, which speaks to our sustainability agenda. We want to be carbon net neutral in our production by 2030 and completely in our full supply chain by 2040. So the launch of the star bottle in South Africa is another significant milestone and stride in our journey of driving this agenda of 'Brew a Better World'," said Marcel Swain, Marketing Manager Premium Beer at HEINEKEN Beverages.
The launch of the star bottle came with the unveiling of Green Zones, a collection of open parks and meadows complemented by food and flower gardens, as well as creative arts spaces in communities across the country including Phillipi, Cape Town, Eldorado Park, and Lawley in Johannesburg.
"These spaces are beacons of hope for the community. Each community and Green Zone is very different depending on what the community needs. This one in particular, here at Sakhikhaya Youth Development Centre, there was a need for plants, a lot of vegetables to feed the communities and some medicinal plants that can be used," said Mistry.
Sakhikhaya Youth Development Centre is based in Lawley in south Johannesburg, and provides psychosocial support and food security for the community.
The Green Zones initiative is run in partnership with award-winning Greenpop, an organisation working to restore ecosystems and empower environmental stewards.
"The urban population across Africa is increasing by 700%. And as this rapid urbanisation happens, there's a lot of pressure on local ecologies. We believe that urban greening is an essential part of sustainable development. It helps mediate urban temperatures and helps maintain the connection between people and nature. So we think it's incredibly important," said Christopher Nash, Urban Greening Project Manager at Greenpop.
Greenpop identified spaces and built the Heineken® Green Zones. The organisation put out public advertisements for communities to nominate their area to become a Green Zone space.
"Spaces like this are very important for the community because unlike in the suburbs, where they have green spaces all around, within the community, we don't have such. Another thing, we don't have centres where they teach people how to plant their own food in the backyards or about medicinal plants," said Sihle Dasi, Green Zone site recipient and Sakhikhaya Youth Development Centre Manager.
Click HERE to find out more about how HEINEKEN Beverages aims to 'Brew a Better World'.
This post was sponsored by Heineken® and produced by Studio24.
