"Trouble brewing: Maya people in Yucatán fear new Heineken plant’s thirst for water", 04 October 2025

...They denounce a wave of mega-projects imposed without their consent, from industrial-scale pig farms to the controversial Maya Train tourist expansion. But they reserve their greatest anger for the Heineken brewery in Kanasín, near Mérida, which was announced in June.

To many of Yucatán’s Maya people, the plans for the Heineken factory are seen not as a promising development, but as a continuation of a deeper problem: of government-backed industrial developments that threaten water supplies and human rights, leaving local communities caught in an uneven conflict to protect their cultural and environmental survival...

Indigenous communities have criticised a lack of community consent – disputing the company’s claim that consultations took place last December – and raising concerns about its environmental impacts, particularly the effects of its water use on local communities...

Heineken says it will produce 400m litres (100m US gallons) of beer a year, and plans to limit water use to two litres for every litre of beer. But one estimate suggests this could mean losing 1bn litres of water at the current rate of 2.6 litres for every litre of beer...

The company also says its new brewery will reduce its water consumption with “circular economy practices that ensure water re-use through cutting-edge treatment systems” and aims to minimise waste and operate using renewable energy...

Communities are also concerned about pollution. Large-scale breweries are required by law to treat wastewater produced during beer manufacturing, as it contains high levels of chemicals and organic compounds that can harm soils and contaminate groundwater...

Heineken says it conducted a free, prior and informed consultation with assistance from the Kanasín state government, in which “communities approved the project and agreements for shared benefits were signed”...

The company also says it carried out a water-feasibility study before investing in the project, that its water usage follows the principles “reduce, re-use and replenish”, and that it aims for the new brewery to exceed the water consumption efficiency of its Meoqui plant in the state of Chihuahua – 1.7 litres of water for every litre of beer...