Social
In South Korea, AB InBev’s OB Beer division has launched a responsibility campaign to raise awareness of the danger of driving after having consumed alcohol the night before. OB partnered with the Korea Road Traffic Authority and breathalyser manufacturer Sentec for the ‘Promise Not To Drink Drive’ platform, which is built around a new car key storage box combined with a breathalyser.
The ‘Promise Box’ has been designed especially for the campaign and ensures that motorists can only retrieve their car keys on the morning after drinking if no alcohol is detected on their breath.
Elsewhere, the brewer’s AB InBev Foundation hosted representatives from its national and regional foundations around the world at its annual summit. Colleagues met to share progress on the group’s ‘Smart Drinking’ programme and discuss how to develop pilots and scale evidence-based initiatives to make the greatest difference.
In the US, Heineken partnered with the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton AI & Analytics Initiative to explore new ways to use behavioural science to deter drink-driving. Representatives of the company will be participating in the programme’s AI & Analytics Accelerator during the fall term, working with teams of students to develop a science-based approach to reducing drink driving through targeted interventions.
Meanwhile, in Indonesia, Heineken’s Bintang Brewery unit teamed up with the Indonesian Motor Association for a new road safety initiative, ‘Auto Sobriety’. The activation uses education programmes and community involvement to deter drink-driving through behavioural change and will host educational sessions across the country.
Ahead of the Chuseok Autumn festival in South Korea, Pernod Ricard launched a responsible drinking promotion in the country featuring K-Pop stars Lee Seung-hyub and Yoo Hwe-seung of N.Flying. The celebrity-led campaign is part of the brand owner’s global ‘Drink More Water’ initiative and will encourage young adults to also consume water if they choose to drink alcohol with friends and relatives during Chuseok.
Pernod Ricard is also bringing its ‘SplitDrinks’ initiative to South Korea for the first time, again under the ‘Drink More Water’ banner. The concept is based around a split cocktail glass, one side for the cocktail and the other to hold water, highlighting the importance of pacing oneself and staying hydrated.
Environment
In the UK, Asahi is celebrating the first year of a conservation and restoration project on the River Thames in London. Partnering with the environmental charity Thames21 and The Old Chiswick Protection Society, Asahi has worked to restore the Chiswick Eyot, a nature reserve on the tidal Thames near Fuller’s Griffin Brewery. Asahi’s funding and hundreds of volunteering hours contributed to a range of achievements, including installing 100 metres of natural flood management, removing invasive species, tree plantings and 14 community engagement events.
Diageo has been celebrating a major milestone in its worldwide water stewardship efforts this year, having replenished more water than it used across its 30 production sites in water-stressed areas. Since 2016, the group has replenished more than 8.1bn litres of water globally. And since 2020, it has completed 212 community water projects across five continents, helped provide 700,000 people with access to clean water and supported healthy water systems through planting millions of trees, restoring wetlands and other projects. Diageo has subsequently published an interactive map to highlight the breadth of its water replenishment projects and the local impact they’re delivering around the world.
Suntory is also celebrating a major milestone this year, having planted the one millionth tree through its ‘Together for Good’ global volunteering initiative. The project brings employees together to support local communities and environments around the world. In 2025 alone, Suntory volunteers planted in the region of 8,100 trees globally, including 159 different plant species in Los Remedios National Park in Mexico.
Suntory contributed to some recent global summits on sustainability and the environment, with senior representatives participating in the Global Nature Positive Summit in Japan and the World Water Week conference in Sweden. The group shared its experiences in developing integrated partnerships to effect long-term positive environmental impact by working across sectors, and how to enhance a sustainable water cycle across regional basins by promoting its ‘Water Positive’ platform throughout the region.
In New Zealand, Kirin’s Lion division has celebrated the first anniversary of solar energy generation at its flagship brewery, The Pride in Auckland. The facility has one of the largest roof-based solar arrays countrywide, with 2,424 panels producing 1.21 megawatts of power, which now provides more than 14% of its power needs through sustainable energy. The Pride’s solar installation is the latest step in Lion’s ‘Force for Growth, Force for Good‘ programme, with more progress detailed in its recently published ESG report for 2025.
Governance
In Nepal, Carlsberg’s Gorkha Brewery has made a significant donation to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund to support the country’s recovery from the recent devastating floodings. Gorkha Brewery has also delivered at least 180 dome tents to Nuwakot, one of the most impacted areas, and Carlsberg is also working on additional ways to support relief and recovery efforts through the Danish Red Cross and other trusted partner organisations working on the ground.
Diageo has launched an AI-powered anti-fraud label to help to prevent the consumption of illicit alcohol in Brazil. One year after a series of deaths in Sao Paulo that were linked to counterfeit drinks adulterated with methanol, the ‘Diageo Safe Drink Seal’ will allow consumers and traders to verify that bottles are safe. By scanning a QR code on bottle seals, users’ smartphones will direct them to an AI platform that will analyse the seal’s unique ‘fingerprint’and then display the message “seal successfully validated” on the screen if the bottle is legitimate.
Finally, Lotte Chilsung will shortly hold its 11th annual Super Blue Marathon in Seoul, South Korea, in partnership with Special Olympics Korea. The annual event is one of Lotte’s main social activities, encouraging respectful and inclusive language around disability through four courses of different lengths for people with and without disabilities to run and walk together. Last year, around 8,000 participants joined the event.
