Social
AB InBev has spent the year marking the tenth anniversary of its US$1bn Global Smart Drinking Goals (GSDG) programme, launched in 2015 to support the World Health Organization’s target of reducing harmful drinking globally by 10% by 2025. Earlier this month, Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business published a report evaluating the initiative. The 58-page case study (below) illustrated how AB InBev had looked beyond traditional corporate responsibility and regulatory compliance to create shared social and economic value, delivered through its core business model and strategic philanthropic investments.
In the UK, Asahi is partnering with the Government’s “THINK! 0%” drink-driving campaign and on-premise operator Greene King to encourage responsible driving over the festive season. Visitors to Greene King pubs will be offered a complimentary Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% to encourage them to enjoy the festive spirit responsibly – to qualify, drivers need only show their car keys to bar staff.
Diageo has partnered once again with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the National Football League (NFL) and Uber for the second year of their ‘Take a Minute. Make a Plan’ campaign in the US. The nationwide road safety initiative encourages sports fans to pre-plan their journeys home from NFL games to deter drink driving. Building on the success of the first campaign, which reached half of the legal drinking age population in 2024, the partners will boost their reach this year through dynamic activations, digital experiences with NFL teams and a custom journey-planning website.
Heineken estimated that 2025 has been the first year in which a majority of consumers will feel confident in declining offers of alcohol at festive parties. Research from Brazil, Japan, Spain, the UK, and the US found that 72% now feel more confident in choosing not to drink alcohol at social events; 81% think it is socially acceptable to decline without offering a reason, while 67% said it is now outdated to ask somebody why they aren’t drinking.
Molson Coors Beverage Co launched the latest version of its long-running New Year initiative Free Rides in seven cities in the US, along with Halifax in Canada. The brand owner commenced the road safety programme in 1988, and has since provided in the region of 10m free rides on public transportation to help communities celebrate safely at the close of the year.
Pernod Ricard celebrated the fourth anniversary of its Drink More Water responsible drinking campaign’s partnership with the annual One Young World leadership conference in Munich, Germany. At the event, the brand owner installed a hydration stand, ran a workshop on redefining moderate drinking for modern societies and delivered a keynote address on the main stage detailing the need for spreading the hydration and moderation message to future leaders.
Environment
Carlsberg is expanding its use of renewable energy through new power purchase agreements (PPA) across its Nordic operations. Beginning next year, the company’s breweries in Finland, Norway and Sweden will use power from newly built hydro and wind assets, increasing its global use of PPA from 10% to 21%.
In Scotland, the RSPB announced a major peatland revival collaboration with Diageo, Moët Hennessy’s Glenmorangie, and Suntory Global Spirits to restore approximately 1,000 hectares of peatland at The Oa nature reserve on Islay. The trio will contribute GBP1.6m (US$2.1m) to fund the project over the next five years, with a focus on making the peatland more resistant to flooding, improving wildfire resilience and providing improved habitat for many species.
Kirin is participating in the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) Nature Transition Plan Pilot Program in the US, with a new project at its New Belgium Brewing facility in Fort Collins, Colorado. The brewery draws water from a watershed in an area with high water-related risk and water demand, and Kirin has developed a Nature Transition Plan to help reduce the site’s water usage intensity and identify how collaboration with neighbouring stakeholders can help to strengthen the resilience of the watershed itself. The TNFD is included in the G20 Sustainable Finance Roadmap as a priority initiative.
Governance
Back home in Japan, Kirin has received a gold rating in the 2025 PRIDE Index, marking the ninth consecutive year that the group has received the top evaluation for corporate initiatives related to LGBTQ+. Eight years ago, Kirin updated its employee code of conduct to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, and has since taken steps to raise staff awareness through messages from management, human rights training and the establishment of an external consultation service.
In South Korea, Lotte Chilsung was awarded first place among beverage companies in the Korea Standards Association’s Korea Sustainability Competition 2025. Ranking highest in ESG for a fourth consecutive year, Lotte was recognised for its recent advances in eco-friendly packaging and partnerships with non-profit community groups.
Finally, in Vietnam, Pernod Ricard donated VND1bn (US$40,000) to support communities devastated by recent floods in the Central and Central Highlands provinces. The Government’s Vietnamese Fatherland Front has been coordinating the distribution of the emergency funding. “We hope this contribution will help ease the burden and enable families to recover and stabilise their lives,” the company’s unit in the country said.
