World's Leading Producers of Beer, Wine and Spirits are Combatting Harmful Drinking in More Than a Hundred Countries - IARD

LONDON, Sept. 10, 2017 /CNW/ - By forming innovative partnerships with hundreds of organizations, the 11 companies^[i] behind some of the world's most popular beer, wine and spirits brands have:

• Reached more than 100 million people with educational messages focused on preventing underage drinking
• Established campaigns to prevent drinking and driving in 80% of markets where they are active
• Demonstrated that companies can be effective partners in tackling harmful drinking, accelerating progress towards the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

As detailed in the 2016 Producers' Commitments progress report^[ii] published today, the world's leading producers have continued their efforts to tackle the harmful use of alcohol by forging new partnerships across sectors, from governments and small retailers, to not-for-profits and others in the private sector.

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Drawing on case studies from nine countries around the world, the report highlights key lessons and insights for future action and recognizes that while progress has been made there is still much more to do.

Carlos Brito, Chair of the IARD^[iii] CEO Group & CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), said: "We take pride in our products and their role in society, believe that a culture of smart drinking is good for business, and recognize our duty to help reduce harmful consumption of alcohol. We have seen that progress is possible, but we know there is much work to do. We all look for occasions to enjoy the good things in life. We all want the best for our families and communities. It's up to all of us to promote smart drinking and reduce the harmful use of alcohol. Harmful drinking is a complex issue with multiple causes. We believe that beer, wine and spirits companies can be part of the solution. IARD's ambition is to establish the international standards for preventing harmful consumption, by helping us to share best practices, establish common commitments and facilitating a dialogue with civil society. We are committed to build on our efforts for the final year of our Commitments, and beyond."

Henry Ashworth, President of IARD added: "The progress report demonstrates the determination of these leading global producers to be a force for good within their industries and society. Long term sustainable change and a reduction in harmful drinking can only happen when private, public and not-for-profit organizations work together locally, nationally and globally. We want to work with others to create new relationships and models of working that drive positive change through our all communities."

Highlights from the report's case studies include:

• A diverse range of highly effective social media campaigns, for example:
• Australia: multi-sectorial work led to the internationally acclaimed 'How to drink properly' [https://drinkwise.org.au/our-work/drinking-do-it-properly/#] campaign which tackled binge drinking and reached two million young people;
• South Africa: our #bethementor [http://www.bethementor.sab.co.za/ ] Facebook campaign which was accompanied by face-to-face communications was associated with a 91% reduction in underage drinking by youth participants; and
• Brazil: the ABRABE-run program Sem Excesso ("No Excess") drew in 159,460 unique website visitors, gained more than 400,000 YouTube views, more than 808,000 Facebook likes; and more than 50,000 twitter followers

• Significant progress in reducing drinking and driving, for example:
• Poland: The majority of states now have police officers trained to conduct roadside alcohol breath tests. In one focus state, a 44% decrease in alcohol-related road traffic crashes was reported between 2013 and 2016;
• Mexico: most states now have police officers trained to conduct roadside breathalyzer tests; and
• Spain: our multi-media campaign to reduce drunk driving was recognized as an example of best practice by the European Alcohol and Health Forum (EAHF) and was honored with an award from the Spanish Ministry of Industry.

• The first ever Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Federal Ministry of Health and Welfare and drinks producers 
• Dominican Republic: The MOU established a comprehensive work plan to: reduce underage drinking; strengthen and expand marketing codes of practice; reduce drinking and driving; and enlist the support of retailers in efforts to reduce harmful drinking. An "Alcohol Cluster" has also been established, consisting of a broad range of stakeholders which now meet monthly to discuss action plans in support of these commitments.

References

i. The 11 signatories to the Beer, Wine and Spirits Producers' Commitments to Reduce Harmful Drinking [http://www.producerscommitments.org ] are Anheuser-Busch InBev; Asahi Group Holdings; Bacardi; Beam Suntory; Brown-Forman Corporation; Carlsberg; Diageo; Heineken; Kirin Holdings Company; Molson Coors; Pernod Ricard.

ii. The Producers' Commitments

• Reducing underage drinking
• Strengthening and expanding marketing codes of practice
• Providing consumer information and responsible product innovation
• Reducing drinking and driving
• Enlisting the support of retailers to reduce harmful drinking

iii. Launched in January 2015, IARD is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to addressing the global public health issue of harmful drinking and to promoting responsible drinking.

IARD's members are the leading global alcohol producing companies that are signatories to the Commitments. As Secretariat to the Commitments the signatories to the Commitments have delegated to IARD specific tasks that require coordination at global level.

As Secretariat, IARD:

• Coordinates reporting on the Commitments with KPMG and Accenture, manages pilot programs (particularly on drink driving)
• Coordinates with international partners (for example, World Federation of Advertisers)
• Commissions analysis of marketing compliance
• Convenes experts (for example, researchers) and partners (for example, retailers)
• Conducts analysis on policy and programs and produces policy tools and good practice guides (for example, the Alcohol Education Guide [http://alcoholedguide.org])

For more information, and to read the full report, please visit: producerscommitments.org

SOURCE International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD)