Heineken invests R$ 8 million in a glass treatment facility, in partnership with Ambipar

The initiative is part of the Heineken Spin sustainability package, launched in June. Photo – Bloomberg

According to the brewery, this is the first glass beneficiation center in Brazil, and Pernambuco is a priority state.

The Heineken Group will invest R$ 8 million in its first glass circularity unit, located in the city of Jaboatão dos Guararapes (PE), in partnership with the waste management company Ambipar. According to Heineken, this is the first glass beneficiation center in Brazil. The brewery expects to open a similar unit in Bahia later this year.

The initiative is part of the Heineken Spin sustainability package, launched in June, which also includes projects on regenerative agriculture and social activities in partnership with Central Única das Favelas (Cufa).

In Brazil, the Heineken Group’s portfolio includes brands such as Eisenbahn, Amstel, Devassa, Bavaria, Glacial, and Kaiser, among others.

Pernambuco is a priority state

According to Heineken, Pernambuco is a priority state for the project and is expected to have a higher demand for glass treatment, given the R$ 1.2 billion investment to increase malt beer production in 2023.

The investment was announced on Wednesday (6) at an event with Pernambuco Governor Raquel Lyra. The initiative is expected to integrate ten cooperatives in Recife and purchase beer bottles collected by waste pickers. Ambipar will then handle the cleaning, crushing, and subsequent sale of the glass to the industry, which will produce new Heineken bottles.

“The idea is to cover areas where glass collection is virtually nonexistent. We believe that by bringing logistics closer and generating demand for the material in these regions, we can achieve lower costs and, consequently, better compensation for those at the end of this value chain, the waste pickers,” says Mauro Homem, Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs at the Heineken Group.

• Click here to read the full article.