Heineken may face blacklist and boycott by retailers in Brazil

Brazil | Before its investors have nervous fit over Heineken being put on a blacklist in Brazil, the Dutch brewer issued a statement saying that it is not experiencing a boycott.

According to media reports, Brazil’s Ministry of Labour could put Heineken on its blacklist over exploitative practices at a transport company. This would trigger a boycott by the country’s two biggest supermarket chains.

In March 2021, Heineken had learnt about an official inspection that indicated labour violations by one of its transportation service providers, Transportadora Sider. Reportedly, the transport company had made its drivers work more than contractually agreed, preventing them from respecting their driving and rest periods. They were also forced to sleep in their trucks because Sider had not arranged accommodation.

If Heineken were put on the blacklist, Brazil’s two largest supermarket chains (Carrefour and Pão de Açúcar) would stop working with Heineken.

On 2 April, Heineken said it had since addressed the problems and was confident that neither the blacklist nor the corresponding de-listings will occur due to the strong actions taken. “For clarity, Heineken Brazil is not experiencing a boycott; operations continue to run as usual,” the company reiterated.