As leading global producers of beer, wine, and spirits, we are committed to making a positive impact on the world. Our iconic brands are enjoyed by many adults in many countries and our companies have long histories rooted in local culture, supporting livelihoods and sustainable, economic growth for people and communities. Even though our individual companies are different, as members of the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD), we share the same values and are united in our mission to reduce harmful drinking and promote a culture of moderation among those who choose to drink. This is not just the right thing to do, but we believe it is also key for the future of our industry.
As members of the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking, we share the same values and are united in our mission to reduce harmful drinking.
Being part of the solution and tackling harmful drinking are central to the long-term sustainability of our companies, and we have long worked with the public sector and NGOs to help deliver change. Although some argue that profit-making is incompatible with public health goals, the countries that are members of the United Nations and the World Health Organization recognize the role that the private sector can play in addressing the harmful use of alcohol as part of a whole-of-society approach.
Being part of the solution and tackling harmful drinking are central to the long-term sustainability of our companies, and we have long worked with the public sector and NGOs to help deliver change.
Drinking cultures are changing. The past 10 years have seen improvements in responsible drinking and moderation in many parts of the world, with sustained reductions in binge drinking, drink driving and underage drinking. Yet there is still much to be done to make these trends universal and to accelerate the pace of change. As responsible companies, we can and do play a pivotal role in enabling innovation and making a positive impact through our investment, expertise, technology, reach and data.
IARD members are committed to driving change through their individual businesses. HEINEKEN’s innovation in the low- and no-alcohol category is making it increasingly easy for consumers to reach for a low- or no-alcohol beverage. Pernod Ricard is rolling out its global digital label system across its product portfolio by 2024 to better inform consumers about the products they purchase as well as responsible drinking. As individual companies we take action to reduce harm and promote moderation among adults who choose to drink. And our messages can reach consumers that other sectors can’t.
As individual companies we take action to reduce harm and promote moderation among adults who choose to drink.
By coming together as IARD members, we achieve even more to raise standards across our value chain. In response to direct asks of our sector within the 2018 United Nations Political Declaration on noncommunicable diseases, we have taken further concrete steps to accelerate and support declines in underage drinking including:
- Introducing symbols or written age-restriction reminders on our alcohol brands — including no-alcohol extensions of these brands — to send a clear message that minors should not consume alcohol.
- Putting in place five key safeguards on our marketing channels aimed at helping to ensure that marketing is only directed at those adults who can lawfully buy our products. We are also working with leading digital platforms including Meta and YouTube to further strengthen these safeguards where appropriate.
- Establishing and embedding the first industry-wide global standards, alongside 13 marketing agencies, aimed at enhancing transparency and preventing influencer marketing reaching those under the legal purchase age.
- Working alongside twenty prominent global and regional online retailers and e-commerce and delivery platforms to develop standards to help prevent online orders reaching those underage.
- Creating free online resources that support retailers, hospitality venues and delivery platforms in their efforts to help ensure alcohol is not sold, served or delivered to people underage or intoxicated.
These initiatives deliver concrete changes in the systems and processes of hundreds of thousands of businesses. For example, they enable retailers in the U.K. to share their experience of implementing age-verification policies with retailers in Jamaica, allow billions of people to opt out of seeing alcohol advertising on social media sites, and give small- and medium-sized hospitality venues across the world the tools needed to support staff to sell responsibly and deny sale when necessary.
Today, we invite more private-sector organizations from retail, marketing, advertising, digital and hospitality sectors to join our growing Global Standards Coalition, which now has more than 80 signatories including Walmart, SPAR International, International Chamber of Commerce, Dentsu and UberEats.
By shifting our focus from a shared agenda to developing shared solutions we can grow a movement that can accelerate the reduction in harmful drinking and better promote a more responsible drinking culture.
