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Case Study

Sustainability Education That Shifts Messaging Across Global Teams

In 2021, Heineken put the world first with its Brew a Better World strategy, committing to carbon neutrality in production by 2030 and across the value chain by 2040. In Spain alone, the company restored over 2.2 billion litres of water to local ecosystems in 2024. With real progress underway, the next step was clear: turn that ambition into a global communications directive. They turned to OES for help.

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By updating and reinforcing its Green Claims Policy, Heineken was going above and beyond a mere revision of internal guidelines. It was launching a global cultural shift. This case study explores how OES partnered with Heineken to develop the learning materials for a new sustainability training program and roll out the strategic messaging and communications framework that embeds the policy’s values across its global operations.

 

As OES’s first project with Heineken, the Green Claims initiative marked a bold step in elevating environmental accountability and brand integrity. It was a chance to do more than teach. It was an opportunity to inspire. 

THE CHALLENGE

Training That Transforms Culture

At the heart of the Green Claims project was a deceptively simple goal: educate Heineken’s operating companies (OpCos) about a new policy on environmental marketing claims. But this goal carried several complex layers. The company wasn’t just introducing new rules; it was transferring the responsibility for green messaging from the global team to the regional OpCos. As a result, the training had to go beyond simple information-sharing. It needed to inspire ownership, elevate standards, and unify diverse teams under a shared mission.

Heineken’s challenge to OES was to communicate the Green Claims shift internally with clarity and consistency. OES was also tasked with developing a bold, engaging tagline and messaging strategy that would capture the essence of the training and rally global participation.

Heineken’s 80-plus OpCos pride themselves on their independence, tailoring the brand to resonate locally and compete effectively in diverse markets. That autonomy, while key to the company’s global success, posed a real challenge for OES: how to unify messaging without diluting regional identity.

THE SOLUTION

Designing Learning and Messaging in Tandem

OES approached the project through two tightly integrated workstreams: learning design and brand-aligned messaging.

Learning Assets: Clarity Through Creativity

The training materials included:

  • Two PowerPoint slide deck templates designed for both live facilitation and self-paced learning.
  • Two motion graphic videos: a promo to build excitement, and an explainer video to reinforce understanding.

The standout innovation was the fully animated promo video. Featuring the “Green Claims Hero,” the video used character-driven storytelling to make policy concepts engaging and memorable, particularly important for a globally diverse workforce. To support localization without sacrificing brand consistency, the slide decks were developed with adaptable design elements.

Messaging Framework: From Policy to Movement

OES developed a complete tagline and messaging framework alongside the learning tools to support internal communications. The messaging emphasized empowerment, ownership, and excellence. Our marketing team wanted the tone to be confident and aspirational, moving beyond compliance to cultural leadership.

The messaging casts the departments as “centres of excellence,” celebrating their autonomy and positioning them as leaders in shaping the company’s sustainability narrative. Statements like “Every claim we make” and “Green Claims Guru” were designed to resonate with regional teams, positioning the policy as a roadmap for credibility.

Progressive Learning Path

The project evolved through four coordinated phases:

  1. Conceptual Alignment: Establishing a visual identity and messaging voice that balanced policy detail with brand inspiration.
  2. Content Development: Video scripts, storyboards, and decks were carefully designed while adapting to technical constraints.
  3. Cross-Functional Delivery: Our teams collaborated with Heineken’s team at every step to ensure usability, translatability, and strategic alignment.
  4. Message Activation: To drive awareness and adoption, we crafted a full suite of communications assets—long-form internal memos, punchy promotional posts, and social-style content.

Throughout, OES collaborated closely with the Heineken team to ensure every touchpoint supported learning outcomes and cultural buy-in.

RESULTS AND IMPACT

Academic Rigor Meets Real-World Relevance

The final assets achieved more than functional training—they catalyzed culture change:

  • The Green Claims Hero promo was a hit, creating internal buzz and improving engagement.
  • The slide decks became a scalable, on-brand foundation for regional training.
  • The messaging toolkit empowered internal teams to run campaigns that sparked interest and reinforced accountability.

Feedback was glowing. In post-launch calls, the Heineken team praised OES’s clarity, speed, and organization, highlighting how the team “delivered what was needed, when it was needed ” and was “more organized than other vendors.”

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A New Benchmark for Corporate Training

  • Message and Medium Go Hand-in-Hand: By developing the training and messaging together, Construct ensured complete alignment between content and communication.
  • First Impressions Matter: As a first-time vendor, our ability to deliver on creative and operational fronts built lasting trust with Heineken.
  • Creative Constraints Drive Innovation: Challenges with PowerPoint became a catalyst for inventive design solutions and motion graphic storytelling.

Looking Ahead

Heineken’s Green Claims initiative is a blueprint for brand-aligned sustainability education. OES’s work led to a shift from centralized rule enforcement to a focus on decentralized excellence.

With our shared commitment to authenticity, innovation, and trust, this project laid the foundation for an impactful partnership.

"Partnerships for program development can feel transactional, but Construct is truly an augmented team at every level. Our faculty have confidence that their courses will feature quality in the design and consistency in the overall student experience. Likewise, our Digital Learning staff appreciate the Construct team’s expertise and reliability throughout our projects."

Lorna Gonzalez
AVP for Digital Learning, California State University Channel Islands

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How This Approach Can Benefit Your Institution

Construct’s optimized course design services empower institutions to elevate their online offerings. Through strategic customization and cohesive branding across multiple courses, institutions gain scalability, accessibility, and inclusivity. Construct’s expertise enables universities to deliver impactful, engaging courses that enhance students’ educational experiences.

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