CEOs Back Initiatives To Reduce Harmful Use Of Alcohol

Building on their long-standing commitment to public health, world’s leading producers of beer, wine and spirits have agreed to a new series of actions in five key areas designed to strengthen existing efforts to reduce harmful use of alcohol.

Pointing out 10 targeted actions over the next five years,  Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Pernod Ricard, Pierre Pringuet, said it includes  reducing underage drinking, via enforcement of current laws and encouraging governments to introduce and enforce minimum purchase ages, continuing to strengthen and expand marketing codes of practice that are rooted in our resolve not to engage in marketing that could encourage excessive and irresponsible consumption with a particular focus on digital marketing.

According to Pringuet, the actions include making responsible product innovations and developing easily understood symbols or equivalent words to discourage drinking and driving and consumption by pregnant women and underage youths, reducing drinking and driving by collaborating with governments and non-governmental organisations to educate and enforce existing laws , enlisting the support of retailers to reduce harmful drinking and create “guiding principles of responsible beverage alcohol retailing.

“I and my fellow CEOs believe that this programme of actions is concrete, deliverable and, most importantly, capable of being measured and evaluated.  As the CEOs of our global companies, we want to have a role in working to limit harmful drinking and intend to implement these commitments with the same passion and professionalism that we invest in all of our other business activities and goals,” said Pringuet.

The commitments will be implemented over a five-year time period beginning in 2013; a professionally qualified third party will audit the companies’ compliance throughout this time. In addition, participating companies will report to the global community on an annual basis regarding progress.

The commitments build on the signatory companies’ long-standing efforts to discourage harmful drinking.