Social
International Alliance for Responsible Drinking’s (IARD) member companies set a new standard for responsible marketing in 2024, achieving 98.2% compliance with responsible digital marketing guidelines. IARD adopted the five Digital Guiding Principles in 2018, in response to the United Nations’ call for the alcohol industry to take “concrete steps” towards eliminating marketing of alcohol products to minors as part of efforts to reduce underage drinking.
Anheuser-Busch InBev marked ‘Global Beer Responsible Day’ with themed events and promotions around the world. Thousands of AB InBev employees worked with over 138,000 retailers and partners in the company’s biggest annual celebration of moderation, with responsible drinking campaigns ranging across neighbourhood bodegas, national sporting events and social media.
In Romania, Asahi’s Ursus Breweries unit launched a podcast as part of its efforts to curb underage drinking in the country. Developed in collaboration with children’s welfare organisation FONPC, the ‘About Alcohol’ podcast will host doctors, therapists and dependence specialists to discuss how to better understand adolescents and help them deal with peer pressure, stress and other issues without turning to alcohol.
Diageo unveiled a range of drink-driving prevention activations for the end of 2024. In the Dominican Republic, the brand owner is working with traffic agency INTRANT on an online road safety education programme, developed in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training & Research. Elsewhere, in South Korea, Diageo launched an online drink-driving simulator for year-end celebrations, offering free taxi vouchers to the educational game’s first 10,000 participants. And in the US, the brand owner partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the National Football League and Uber for ‘Take a Minute. Make a Plan’. The tongue-in-cheek campaign (below) encourages sports fans to plan ahead by pre-arranging safe rides home after games.
In the UK, Heineken has joined the Government’s THINK! drink-driving campaign, to encourage young drivers to opt for no-alcohol drinks when celebrating. Heineken is rolling out the campaign across 400 of its Star Pubs venues. Also in the country, the company partnered with Stonegate on ‘Pub Alone’ (below), a campaign to tackle loneliness during the festive season. The arrangement will create safe, inclusive hospitality spaces where people can make new connections and share experiences, and supports Heineken UK’s charity partner the Marmalade Trust.
Lotte Chilsung was recognised for its efforts to promote responsible drinking culture in South Korea, winning the grand prize at the second ‘Public Brand Awards’ in Seoul. The company launched its ‘Responsible Liquor Marketing Policy’ in September and is currently planning a new drink-driving prevention campaign.
Molson Coors Beverage Co will be sponsoring free public transit rides in seven major cities in the US on New Year’s Eve, to help people celebrate responsibly. Molson Coors launched the annual campaign in 1988, and expects to reach 9m free rides in 2024.
In the UK, Pernod Ricard’s Malibu brand has been partnering with Olympic gold medallist Tom Daley and the Royal Life Saving Society on a ‘Don’t Drink and Dive’ festive-themed responsibility activation. Daley is promoting the campaign with a run of limited edition knitwear, and seasonal lifeguard towers (below) will be set up at popular inner-city drinking locations near water in London, Manchester and Bristol to get revellers to think and drink differently around water.
DrinkWise commenced its ‘Schoolies’ campaign (below) in Australia to encourage the ongoing shift away from irresponsible consumption at traditional school-leavers celebrations. Recent polling by the organisation revealed that 71% of Schoolies attendees selected alcohol-free celebrations in 2023, and the ‘Schoolies Survival Tips’ activation ran in around 700 off-premise outlets in November, targeting young LDA consumers at popular celebration spots with geo-located social media posts.
In Ireland and Scotland, Drinkaware and the Scotch Whisky Association have both launched responsibility activations for consumers drinking at home over the festive period. The SWA’s ‘Made to Be Measured‘ and Drinkaware’s ‘Measure Don’t Guess‘ campaigns both highlight the importance of measuring alcohol servings accurately at home and remind consumers of national responsible drinking guidelines.
Environment
In Japan, Asahi, Kirin and Suntory are adopting an environmentally-friendly beer can lid (below), which is produced with 40% less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than regular can ends. The joint-venture marks the first time the EcoEnd has been widely adopted by beverage companies, with production commencing in February.
In Malaysia, Carlsberg has announced a MYR343m (US$76.1m) sustainability upgrade for the company’s first brewery to have been established outside Copenhagen. The transformation of the 55-year old Carlsberg Malaysia facility will set “new benchmarks for responsible brewing and environmental stewardship” as part of Carlsberg’s global aim to achieve zero carbon emissions across its breweries by 2030.
Moët Hennessy held the fourth edition of its Biodiversity Days initiative in France, bringing together employees, vineyard partners and public authorities to plant 1km of ecological corridors in the Champagne region. The initiative is part of the brand owner’s ‘Natura Nostra’ and ‘Living Soils’ sustainability programmes.
In Scotland, Suntory has casked the world’s first direct-fired hydrogen-distilled spirit for whisky production, following a successful pilot distillation in Japan. The group will cask a portion of the 100% hydrogen-heated Japanese spirit in Scotland, to be quality assessed under Scottish maturation conditions. The sample will be monitored and compared with a sister portion that will remain in Japan, with the research intended to support Suntory’s ambition of net-zero emissions across its entire value chain by 2040.
Suntory is also expanding its water education initiative to provide access to safe water to more than 5m people worldwide by 2030, increasing its target fivefold from the original 1m. The company reached its initial target last year and will now accelerate its water stewardship activities on a global scale.
Governance
In South Korea, AB InBev’s OB Beer division has been working to distribute food to vulnerable people as the year draws to an end. In Seoul, OB Beer CEO Bae Ha-joon led a group of staff in preparing 1,500 kg of kimchi for delivery to 150 elderly people and other vulnerable households. And in South Chungcheong Province, OB Beer donated KRW2m (US$1,400) of ramen to feed vulnerable groups, in addition to other support activities including distribution of fuel, blankets and food to elderly and disabled people.
Finally, Brown-Forman’s Jack Daniel’s brand launched the 14th year of its ‘Operation Ride Home’ campaign (below) in the US that helps junior-enlisted US service members and their families travel home for the holidays. Jack Daniel’s has donated $100,000 to support its 2024 collaboration with the Armed Services YMCA and has raised more than $2m since 2011.
