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Welcome to the BIER Member Spotlight series, highlighting the individual leaders driving sustainability and innovation within BIER member companies and stakeholder organizations.

As BIER enters its 19th year, the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable continues to build on nearly two decades of industry collaboration and impact. In 2025, we are proud to be led by Chair Nicolas Clerget and Co-Chair David Grant, whose leadership will guide BIER’s collective efforts in advancing environmental stewardship across the beverage sector.

Join us for this insightful interview, where Nicolas, BIER’s 2025 Chair, shares his experience, perspectives, and vision for the year ahead.

Briefly describe your role and responsibilities and how long you have worked with your company.

I joined HEINEKEN in 2018 to build and lead a talent procurement team focused on sourcing renewable energy. Our small but skilled team quickly secured strategic renewable energy contracts across multiple global regions. In 2020, I transitioned to the Global Sustainability team to develop HEINEKEN’s climate strategy. Since then, my role has expanded to designing our net-zero roadmap, securing science-based targets, collaborating with supply chain and procurement to scale implementation, securing funding, and show progress through external reporting.

What inspired you to take on the role of BIER Chair and Co-Chair? What aspects of the role do you find most compelling?

My first BIER meeting, four years ago, left a lasting impression. I was struck by the genuine collaboration—industry peers openly sharing best practices to elevate our collective impact. That spirit of knowledge exchange is rare and incredibly powerful.

As Chair, I’m committed to offering strategic direction and helping BIER stay focused on issues that accelerate environmental transformation across the beverage industry. I’m particularly excited about the upcoming BIER European Summit, which HEINEKEN will host at our Sevilla site. The agenda will include core themes like climate and water while also expanding into emerging areas such as biodiversity.

Reflecting on 2024 and looking ahead to 2025, what BIER initiatives stand out as most impactful or inspiring?

In 2024, BIER underwent a strategic realignment to ensure its mission remained relevant in an increasingly complex landscape. As industry challenges and disclosure demands grow, the value of a platform like BIER—in facilitating knowledge-sharing and saving time—is more important than ever.

While BIER doesn’t directly implement projects, it excels at launching industry-serving platforms. Two recent examples include:

• The Coolition, which brings together fridge suppliers and beverage companies to advance low-carbon, circular refrigeration.
• REfresh Alliance is a platform endorsed by BIER to support suppliers in sourcing renewable energy.

Both were developed in response to clear industry needs and have already begun delivering meaningful results.

As BIER enters its 19th year, what personal quality do you bring to your leadership that will help advance its impact?

I bring passion, deep sustainability expertise, and a pragmatic, common-sense mindset. I’m committed to making this year count—and to preparing David to step into the Chair role in 2026, ensuring a seamless leadership transition.

If you had one superpower to radically accelerate sustainable practices, what would it be?

The biggest challenge is helping stakeholders make informed decisions quickly, across a wide array of complex topics. If I could choose a superpower, it would be instant knowledge transfer—to help others absorb critical information in real time. Imagine a smart beer that delivers all the insight you need in one sip—cheers to that!