Not-for-profit organisation the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking rounds up the latest ESG-related efforts from its brand-owner members.
Here’s what they’ve been up to in November.
Environmental
Ahead of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in December, the World Economic Forum’s Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders has published an open letter to world leaders. The CEOs of Carlsberg, Heineken and Suntory were among over 100 company leaders calling for policy actions to enable a rapid increase in public–private collaboration and accelerate emission reductions across global value chains.
In Europe, Anheuser-Busch InBev has partnered with sustainability solutions provider South Pole to establish a renewable electricity buying initiative for its customers and suppliers. The power purchase agreement (PPA) initiative is part of AB InBev’s commitment to reducing Scope 3 emissions by helping many of its EU customers and suppliers to procure renewable energy.
Carlsberg is investing in a new carbon dioxide recycling plant in Sweden. By the end of next year, Carlsberg Sweden will collect, purify and reuse the biogenic CO₂ currently released during fermentation. The move will provide up to 40% of the division’s CO₂ requirements for production.
Meanwhile, in Malaysia, Carlsberg has relaunched its “Top Ten” education campaign after a three-year hiatus, with a stronger focus on raising awareness of climate change in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG). Since its launch in 1987, the campaign has raised around MYR547m (US$117.1m) for education funding, benefiting 674 schools nationwide.
In Canada, The Coca-Cola Co has announced that its 50cl beverage pack offerings will be packaged in 100% recycled plastic by early next year. The change, part of Coca-Cola’s ‘World Without Waste’ programme to use at least 50% recycled content in its packaging by 2030, will save an estimated 3.5m kg of new plastic in 2024 alone.
In Japan, Kirin has lined up a new recycling agreement with Toyota Tsusho and the city of Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture. Toyota will recycle PET bottles collected by Odawara’s local authorities into PET raw material that Kirin will use to produce new bottles. Around 280 tonnes of bottles will be recycled annually, while the new initiative will also raise awareness of recycling practices for citizens.
Social
In Australia, DrinkWise has partnered with retail chain Coles Liquor to introduce in-store responsible drinking signage. A QR code will direct consumers to the Drinkwise website, from where they can access a range of third-party services to help manage their alcohol consumption.
The China Alcoholic Drinks Association has recently launched its 2023 ‘National Responsible Drinking Promotion Week’. The annual campaign will include the production of charity-themed short films, a new moderate drinking book, NFT collections and a poster design competition, all under the slogan ‘Drink Moderately and Live Happily’.
In South Korea, AB InBev’s OB Beer unit has launched an underage-drinking prevention initiative with the popular bar franchise Grandma Beer. The joint campaign involves age-verification checks at bars during the first half of November, around the time of college entrance exams, to prevent high school seniors from drinking alcohol. OB is promoting the activation with an online healthy drinking quiz featuring premium prizes.
Asahi has marked the Japanese Ministry of Health’s annual ‘Alcohol-Related Issues Awareness Week’ by detailing its responsibility activities over the last year. As well as responsible drinking seminars in universities and public workshops to help daily drinkers regulate their consumption, the company has also pushed ‘smart drinking’ campaigns along with a daily consumption tracking app that has been downloaded over 200,000 times.
In Tanzania, Diageo’s Serengeti Breweries has commenced a national activation called ‘Inawezekana’ to promote responsible drinking. The campaign included a football tournament with the National Traffic Police to raise awareness of the dangers of drink-driving.
Molson Coors Beverage Co’s Bergenbier unit in Romania has rolled out ‘SloMo at the Wheel’, an anti-drink-driving activation. The push features a website hosting educational driving videos as well as an interactive voice recorder that shows users a simulation of their own voice reflexes while intoxicated. Former rally driver Titi Aur is the public face of the campaign, promoting the message of zero tolerance for alcohol while driving.
In South Korea, Pernod Ricard confirmed that its ‘Drink More Water’ campaign has reached around 5m consumers nationwide since launching in June. The digital activity has targeted various age groups with responsible drinking videos across several social media networks, plus promotional pop-ups at live events. Pernod Ricard originally launched the campaign in Europe, Africa, and Latin America in 2021 and expanded into Asia earlier this year.
Governance
Bacardi has opened applications in Bermuda for the second edition of its ‘Shake The Future’ professional bartending programme. In partnership with the Government’s Department of Workforce Development, the group is offering aspiring young bartenders the opportunity to gain the skills and training necessary to embark on a career as a professional mixologist. Launching in 2018 in several markets, the programme has been set a target of training 10,000 young adults by 2030.
In Japan, Suntory will contribute JPY1bn (US$6.7m) in grants and financial support between 2024 and 2026 to help educational non-profit organisations working with “children facing various difficulties”. The social welfare project will launch a new platform to address social disparities faced by children whose cultural, educational and social enrichment is dependent on factors such as their family’s economic situations, providing them with access to a variety of experiences and opportunities.
Heineken’s Desperados brand is fronting a nightlife security staff education programme in partnership with the ‘Good Night Out’ campaign in Europe. The ‘Doorperson Diploma’ will address survey findings that indicate many partygoers find security staff intimidating and unapproachable, by advancing skills in areas such as reading body language.
Finally, in France, Moët Hennessy has been working collectively to restore Notre-Dame in Paris after the cathedral was devastated by fire in 2019. The company’s Hennessy Cognac unit has donated 36 oaks from Le Bois de la Celle forest to the restoration, having had them cut into construction beams. The trees have been entrusted to the carpenters who are rebuilding the framework of the cathedral’s spire.
Head here for more details on the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking.
