CHAMWE KAIRA
Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) has invested more than N$35.6 million in water-saving initiatives over the past decade, including infrastructure upgrades and contributions to groundwater research, as the brewer continues to reduce its water consumption in one of Africa’s driest countries.
The investment comprises N$35 million spent since 2015 on water reduction measures, including environmental impact assessments, borehole development and a reverse osmosis plant along with N$669 415 contributed through the Northern Industry Forum (NIF) towards a hydrology assessment of the Windhoek Northern Aquifer.
The announcement comes as Namibia marks Environment Month, with NBL reporting that it exceeded its annual water efficiency target while also making significant gains in renewable energy use.
Managing director Waldemar von Lieres said the company’s water management strategy, based on reducing, reusing, recycling and reclaiming water, enabled it to cut water consumption by 8% in 2025 to 3.56 hectolitres of water per hectolitre of beer produced (hl/hl), down from 3.86 hl/hl in 2024.
Water usage has declined by 17% from 4.3 hl/hl recorded in 2023.
The company is aiming to reduce water consumption further to 2.4 hl/hl by 2030 under its Brew a Better World 2030 sustainability strategy.
According to Von Lieres, the N$35 million investment includes N$12 million spent on environmental impact assessments and the drilling of five boreholes, which now supply around 80% of the brewery’s production water requirements.
A further N$23 million was invested in a reverse osmosis plant that treats brackish borehole water to production standards.
NBL also highlighted its role in broader efforts to strengthen water security in the Central Area of Namibia.
As a founding member of the Northern Industry Forum, whose members collectively support more than 5 400 jobs and contribute nearly N$2 billion in taxes annually, the brewer helped fund a N$669 415 hydrology assessment of the Windhoek Northern Aquifer to evaluate its long-term sustainability.
At last month’s Central Area of Namibia Water Security Workshop, NBL presented a proposal on behalf of the forum advocating a “Triple Win” approach that would safeguard drinking water supplies for residents, improve the City of Windhoek’s financial sustainability by reserving the Southern Aquifer for human consumption, and ensure businesses retain reliable water supplies to protect employment and tax revenues.
The proposal also called for the establishment of a permanent public-private task force involving government, the City of Windhoek, NamWater and industry to coordinate long-term water planning before future droughts.
Beyond water conservation, NBL said it continued to make progress in reducing its carbon footprint through increased use of renewable energy.
Von Lieres said the company’s biomass boiler supplied 100% of the brewery’s thermal energy requirements over the past two months.
Alternative energy sources accounted for 92.8% of NBL’s total energy consumption in 2025, up from 66% the previous year.
The brewer’s two solar plants, commissioned in 2013 and 2023, now provide about 20% of its electricity needs, while all electricity purchased from the national grid is covered by International Renewable Energy Certificates, meaning all grid-supplied electricity is recognised as renewable.
These measures enabled NBL to avoid 17 592 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2025, compared with 3 237 tonnes in 2024, as the company works towards achieving net-zero operational carbon emissions by 2030.
“Our approach is to take responsibility for the resources we depend on, and to work alongside government, industry and communities to secure them for the future,” Von Lieres said.
