Social
In the UK, Drinkaware launched its new prevention strategy for 2026-2030. To mark its 20th anniversary, the organisation has set a target of reducing the number of risky drinkers in the country by 2m over the next five years.
“By 2030, our shared ambition is to see 2m fewer risky drinkers in the UK,” Drinkaware said. “This new target has been developed with industry partners and stakeholders, and aligns closely with the National Health Service ten-year plan’s focus on prevention and early intervention. Achieving it would bring real benefits to society, communities and public health”
AB InBev participated in a university panel in Mexico to discuss the latest results of its ten-year Global Smart Drinking Goals (GSDG) programme. The group launched the US$1bn initiative in 2015 to support WHO’s target of reducing harmful drinking globally by 10% by 2025. Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business recently published a case study evaluating the GSDG programme, and the UNAM panel discussed how businesses can simultaneously create both social impact and business value with ‘social norms marketing’.
Back to the UK, and Asahi’s London Pride beer brand fronted a mental wellbeing campaign in partnership with sports charity Brave Mind. The ‘Side to Side’ video series aims to address the taboo around discussing mental health by bringing together people from across the rugby community to encourage meaningful face-to-face conversations.
Meanwhile, in Romania, Asahi’s Ursus Breweries partnered with the country’s police force on a new drink-driving prevention project. Romania has one of the highest levels of traffic crashes in the EU, and the project examined changing attitudes to drink driving over the last two decades. This year, for example, 10% of survey respondents admitted to drinking and driving, compared to 29% in 2008. “Changing behaviours is a long-term process, and improving perceptions of road safety is part of this process,” the unit said. “We contribute to this change together with our institutional partners, both at the company and industry level. We are glad that the results of this study confirm that we are on the right track.”
In Scotland, the Scotch Whisky Association reported that its annual ‘Made to be Measured’ prevention activation has had a measurable impact on harmful drinking. The organisation launched the campaign in 2023, to encourage people to be aware of the strength of their drinks and promote awareness of responsible consumption guidelines. A recent three-year evaluation found that 88% of people who had seen the campaign had taken action to reduce their own consumption, 88% recognised that the activity was promoting responsible drinking and 79% reported a better understanding of different drinks’ ABV levels.
Staying in Scotland, and the Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership is launching the latest version of its ‘It’ll Cost You’ proxy-purchasing campaign this summer, in partnership with Police Scotland. Adults in the country face fines, imprisonment or both for buying alcohol for minors, with the partnership and the police committing to working directly with retailers across Scotland to raise awareness of the potential costs. “Our members are robust in ensuring that under-18s can’t buy alcohol from their stores, so our communities need to support these efforts and be aware of the consequences of proxy purchasing,” the SAIP said.
Environment
Bacardi has been awarded Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) silver recertification for its Bombay Sapphire distillery in the UK. The brand owner first gained the WHC certification in 2023 by supporting local biodiversity through initiatives such as wildflower planting and the installation of fish and eel passes to help improve river connectivity and support native species migration. “The Bombay Sapphire distillery has been carefully cultivated with sustainability in mind,” Bacardi said. “Being a Grade II-listed historic site as well as a ‘Site of Special Scientific Interest’, conservation and restoration have always been central to the distillery and its surrounding landscape.”
Brown-Forman joined the OpenClimat network in the US, to strengthen its collaborative efforts to track, manage and accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across its owned operations and broader supply chain. OpenClimat is a data-sharing and collaboration platform that enables manufacturers to share and showcase their data, turning climate action into a driver of collaboration with all their retail partners.
In Malaysia, Carlsberg announced a MYR600,000 (US$146,000) partnership with the Malaysia Forest Fund to support forest biodiversity in the country. The project marks Carlsberg’s first step into forestry conservation in Malaysia, by creating a dedicated funding pool for environmental NGOs to drive biodiversity projects nationwide. The initiative aims to protect and restore critical ecosystems, including forest carbon stocks, water catchment areas and local biodiversity, while supporting local communities that depend on these natural resources.
In Japan, Kirin and Suntory have been awarded the highest rating in environmental NGO CDP’s ‘Supplier Engagement Assessment’ for the eighth and sixth consecutive years, respectively. The CDP assessment evaluates businesses’ efforts to address climate change based on four key metrics and highlights companies that have demonstrated particularly outstanding efforts across their supply chains. The NGO also recognised Kirin and Suntory with the highest possible rating for ‘Water Security’.
Moët Hennessy hosted the third edition of its World Living Soils Forum at Luma Arles in France earlier this month. The brand owner founded the forum in 2022 to accelerate and scale up regenerative practices worldwide by bringing together scientists, farmers, institutions, NGOs, start-ups, investors and companies to share knowledge, innovations, solutions and best practices. This year’s event saw experts from Pernod Ricard join Moët Hennessy and other partners on the forum’s Advisory Board. The organisers gathered a coalition of experts, farmers, researchers, industry leaders, NGOs and solution providers for discussions about the evolving future of the planet’s soils, and accelerating the transition to regenerative agriculture.
Governance
Suntory held its seventh annual ‘Together for Good’ global community volunteering event, uniting its employees in an initiative spanning five continents. Internal teams around the world participated in community activities, including tree plantings and gardening, park and shoreline clean-ups and meal donations. The annual event promotes Suntory’s core values of ‘Growing for Good and Giving Back to Society’ while also reflecting a culture of volunteerism and community impact.
