Companies pledge to fight harmful drinking

TOP producers of alcoholic beverages released their 2013 progress report related to Beer, Wine and Spirits Producers’ Commitments to Reduce Harmful Drinking, an industry-led initiative that was launched in 2012 to ensure safe intake of alcoholic drinks worldwide.

The first report is based on key performance indicators developed by Accenture Sustainability Services and assured by KPMG Sustainability. The following are some of the accomplishments by the 13 producers:

-defined specific, measureable targets for all 10 action areas included in the Commitments, which will allow the producers to assess progress going forward;

-ran 135 education programmes worldwide (individually or in partnership), aimed at preventing and reducing underage drinking. These programmes have reached nearly one million young people under the legal purchase age in alcohol education programmes and more than 500,000 parents, teachers, and community leaders;

-determined through an analysis in seven countries that more than 96% of producer advertising is compliant with the “70/30 rule” under which advertising is placed in media where at least 70% of the audience is of legal drinking age;

-found that none of the signatories’ products contained excessive quantities of stimulants; and developed guiding principles for responsible digital marketing, which are now out for review by industry, public health organisations, trade associations, and other interested parties.

“We saw 2013 as an important first year to lay the foundation for this unprecedented global effort, and we have more work to do to address the complex issue of harmful drinking over the Commitments’ next four years and beyond,” said Rick Wilson, chairman of the International Centre for Alcohol Policies (ICAP), and senior vice president, External Affairs & Corporate Responsibility, Bacardi-Martini, Inc.

The signatories are Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bacardi Limited, Beam Inc. Brewers Association of Japan, Brown-Forman Corporation, Carlsberg, Diageo, Heineken, and Japanese Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association. Compra Zapatillas de running para hombre