Carlsberg’s Huda brand has earned pride of place in Carlsberg’s 2020 Sustainability Report.
Huda Beer, a portmanteau of Hue (the brewery’s location) and Danmach (the word in Vietnamese for Denmark), has been working on clean water access for residents in and around Central Vietnam.
Water access and quality is a severe and enduring issue in Vietnam. 44% of children suffer from parasitic infections due to contaminated water. Illnesses like heavy metal poisoning and cancer are common, linked to sub-standard well, pond or rainwater[1].
In parallel with a national level push from Vietnam’s Prime Minister, the brewery launched a program two years ago to deal with this national crisis and construct new water infrastructure in Central Vietnam.
Working with local communities and provincial governments in five provinces, Huda supported a range of projects to give access to clean tap water for 5,500 people in 2019 and 14,000 people during 2020.
The Sustainability Report highlights projects Carlsberg’s subsidiary supported the installation and repair of water pipelines, reservoirs, wells, pumping stations, filter tanks, water flow meters, and even building a concrete dam.
Beyond community projects, Huda’s Phu Bai brewing facility earned a mention in the report for installing two new bottle washers that have helped cut water use from 3.24 to 2.48 hl/hl of beer produced.
Carlsberg claims this will save the equivalent of 75 Olympic swimming pools per year, a priority in line with their commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals around the environment.
For context to international readers unfamiliar with Vietnam’s beer market, Huda has been brewed in Hue, Vietnam’s ancient imperial capital, since 1990.
The brewery now offers a broader range – Huda Festival and Huda Gold – beyond their signature mass-market lager.
Huda has established a solid reputation amongst locals and travellers alike, including winning a range of international beer awards. Carlsberg is now making a push nationwide to build more draft accounts for the Central Vietnamese brewery.
[1] https://www.fluencecorp.com/vietnam-clean-water-directive/
