Heineken has recently launched a new Sustainable Development (SD) strategy for 2020-2030 to continue their journey towards sustainability after the end of their former strategy in 2020, called Brewing a Better World. To create this new strategy, Heineken challenged themselves to develop a storyline and a visualisation that could integrate their existing 2030 commitments with their ‘bold moves.’ With the help of an international and interdisciplinary team, they have created an SD strategy that is easy to understand and talk about while remaining under one clean ‘umbrella.’ The team used a focused, nimble ‘design’ process in three sprint-style weeks, with each week consisting of 4 days of sprinting and 1 day of rest to ‘process’ all the input.

To create an effective SD strategy framework, Heineken first examined the external context it would operate in. During the first week of the sprint, the team used Fronteer’s Lighthouse model to look at key market trends, the main competitors and stakeholders, and the target audience of the 2030 SD framework. From this analysis, they developed a strategic vision that served as the basis for the three narrative routes co-created by the team by the end of the first week.

During the second week, the team aimed to validate the operationality of the different narrative routes formulated in the first week. To accomplish this, they set up validation sessions with different Operating Companies (OpCos) of Heineken from various parts of the world. With the input from OpCos from Ireland, Brazil, Hungary, Indonesia and Vietnam, they used an iterative process to refine and perfect the three inclusive and operational narratives. The third and final week of the sprint focused on finalising the concepts and bringing them to life through design. The team explored various visual explorations to create the perfect fit between the storyline and the visual.

Heineken is proud of the SD framework strategy that they have co-created with their team, and they invite others to join their movement and mission to create a positive impact for a more sustainable world of consumption. With their new SD strategy in place, Heineken is well-positioned to continue their journey towards sustainability over the next decade.