International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD)

The WHO has called it remarkable progress: we are on track to meet the SDG target on alcohol and health. Ministers and senior officials from around the world are gathering at the UN High Level Political Forum to review the Sustainable Development Goals including SDG 3, which is about ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. Tackling the harmful use of alchol is a core component of SDG3. The target the world has set itself is a 20% reduction in alcohol per capita (APC) consumption from 2010 to 2030. This is being implemented through the UN strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol, which calls on governments, civil society and the private sector to work together to achieve this goal. In April, new WHO data showed that APC globally had fallen by 12% from 2010 to 2022, and that the world was therefore on track to meet this key target. It’s not often that the world is able to say that the SDGs are on target, or that UN strategies are working. The UN HLPF in New York this week is an opportunity to welcome this progress, and redouble our efforts. Find out more: https://hlpf.un.org/2025

Our Standards in Action series concludes with three of our members’ initiatives that are having a meaningful impact: 🧠 Diageo’s DRINKiQ platform delivers responsible drinking tools and education in 22 languages, reaching users in over 90 countries. It includes a WHO-based self-assessment and interactive tools to help people make informed decisions. 🚍 Molson Coors Beverage Company’s Free Rides programme has provided more than 9 million safe rides across the U.S. and Canada during major celebrations, including New Year’s Eve and major sporting events. 🌐 Lion – part of Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd group of brands – has reached over 750,000 people in New Zealand through its Alcohol&Me platform, around 7% of the adult population. 90% reported changing their drinking habits, and 95% would recommend the programme to others. To see the full report, follow the link in the first comment. #ResponsibleDrinking #StandardsInAction #PositiveImpact

Our Standards in Action series continues, showcasing how our members are addressing harmful drinking through creative, targeted campaigns: 💬 In Poland, Asahi Europe & International’s Kompania Piwowarska worked with the Fundacja "Dom w Łodzi" to raise awareness about the risks of drinking during pregnancy. The 2024 campaign encouraged families and friends to support alcohol-free pregnancies, reaching over 2 million people. 🏎️ The HEINEKEN Company’s When You Drive, Never Drink campaign continued in 2024 with The Best Driver, featuring Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen reinforcing the message that ‘The Best Driver is not the fastest driver, but the one who is not drinking’. 🧘♂️ Brown-Forman’s Pause campaign encourages mindful choices around alcohol. By pausing before drinking, individuals are prompted to reflect, make informed choices, and promote a culture of awareness and responsibility. 🎯 In Belgium, Bacardi and Vinum Et Spiritus launched You Do You to help young adults resist peer pressure and respect drinking limits. Targeting festivals and students, the campaign’s first wave reached over 632,000 people on Meta (3.1M impressions) and 334,000 on YouTube. 🎣 Carlsberg Group Sweden is tackling drinking in high-risk settings with campaigns like Don’t Drink and Ski and Don’t Drink and Fish. Their latest initiative used a custom-made fishing lure to creatively highlight water safety and responsible choices. To see the full report, follow the link in the first comment. #ResponsibleDrinking #StandardsInAction #PublicHealth #CampaignsInAction #PositiveImpact

A dual approach to responsible drinking was the focus for IARD CEO, Julian Braithwaite, on the Voice of the Industry Podcast at Vinexposium. He discussed the industry's commitment to providing innovative products (like no/low options) and crucial information, empowering adults to drink moderately and responsibly.

Our Standards in Action report, released last week, highlighted the concrete initiatives our members have taken to combat harmful drinking. The report featured an array of examples that underlined the strength of creative campaigning and the power of partnerships to deliver real impact: 🍹 Pernod Ricard’s Don’t Drink and Dive campaign showed positive results – viewers were 26% more likely to avoid drinking and swimming. 🥃 Suntory Global Spirits’ Maker’s Mark campaign shared tips for hosting holiday gatherings responsibly – reaching over 55 million impressions on Pinterest. 🌾 AB InBev enabled more than 8,000 local farmers and their families to benefit from a sustainable crop market through the development of Impala Beer in Mozambique, offering consumers an affordable alternative to illicit alcohol. We’ll be highlighting more campaigns soon, but to see the full report follow the link in the first comment. #ResponsibleDrinking #PartnershipsInAction #Sustainability #StandardsInAction #GlobalImpact

Today marks the start of Alcohol Awareness Week UK – with this year’s theme focusing on alcohol and work. ⚠️ Research has found four in five employers do not have alcohol policies in the workplace (Work Foundation). At IARD, we work to inspire businesses without policies to develop them – and encourage organisations to include alcohol awareness as part of their wider employee wellbeing strategy. 💡 Workplace alcohol policies can help address employee performance and safety issues related to alcohol misuse. They are valuable additions to HR and health and safety policies. They can also: 🤝 Positively impact all those affected and show the company is a caring employer ⚖️ Demonstrate the company addresses poor performance and dangerous behaviour for the benefit of all employees ✅ Help ensure employers meet health, safety, and duty of care obligations We recognise that policies may differ depending on the organisation, business nature, and local or regional context. 🌍 Read more and find our resources here: https://lnkd.in/exkd5nKD #AlcoholAwareness #AlcoholandWork

Should prices on alcohol go up by 50% around the world to fund global health? This proposal was announced by WHO yesterday, responding in part to the significant cuts in US funding for the WHO and reductions in other aid budgets. In economic terms, alcohol consumption for most people is elastic: you put up the price and people buy less. So this WHO policy is unlikely to raise more revenue for global health, and instead make going out for a drink even less affordable and close more pubs. It won’t stop those with a harmful drinking problem because they are price inelastic, to use the economic term, and it will incentivise illicit alcohol production and tax evasion. As the WHO’s own data shows, alcohol is not the problem when it comes to non-communicable diseases globally: 👉alcohol attributable deaths fell 20% from 2010-19; 👉alcohol consumption per capita is falling around the world and on track to meet the SDG target of a 20% reduction by 2030; 👉and alcohol is one of only two risk factors for NCDs on track to meet targets in Europe, out of 10.

Over 100 partners across six continents united in taking further actions to reduce harmful drinking. This is responsible leadership in action. Initiatives across the value chain are inspiring others to deliver concrete changes in systems and processes for thousands of businesses. Thank you to partners that participated in the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) Global Standards Coalition 100 summit today. From tech platforms to help curators ensure alcohol marketing only reaches those of legal purchase age, to e-commerce platforms embedding robust safeguards to prevent sale and delivery of alcohol beverages to minors. Together industry is driving change to deliver positive outcomes globally. And our efforts continue with new partners joining us in this united mission day by day. Special thank you to Alexandre Ricard Pernod Ricard, Gavin Hattersley Molson Coors Beverage Company, Michael Todd Google, Samantha Stetson Meta, Steven Ross Glass Ch.EHO MREHIS Just Eat Takeaway, Francis Stones TikTok, Juliana Athaydde Rappi and Barsali Bhattacharyya Economist Intelligence: EIU

🤝Raising Global Responsibility Standards: Over 100 leading companies unite to reduce harmful drinking 🌐 IARD’s Global Standards Coalition (GSC) has now reached over 100 members – with leading companies across the value chain united in a joint commitment to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. To mark this unique alliance, we hosted a summit where partners contributed insights on topics such as retail, digital marketing, online sales and delivery. Michael Todd from Google, Samantha Stetson from Meta, Francis Stones from TikTok, Juliana Athaydde from Rappi, Henrique Pedroni Palhares from GPA and Steven Ross Glass Ch.EHO MREHIS from Just Eat Takeaway.com shared how they are embedding responsible practices into their own businesses. We are grateful to Global CEO of Pernod Ricard Alexandre Ricard and Global CEO of Molson Coors Beverage Company Gavin Hattersley who currently hold the Chair and Vice-Chair of IARD, for chairing the summit. With new technologies constantly emerging and evolving, continued dialogue like this is crucial in ensuring businesses remain equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to tackle harmful drinking. Our event featured macroeconomic and geopolitical analysis from the Economist Intelligence: EIU offering high level insights into current global trends impacting business and consumers, as well as the launch of the first-ever global standards coalition logo. Thank you to all those who attended, and particularly all members of the GSC 100 for your transparency and collaborative efforts. Through positive partnerships, we all prosper.  As the GSC continues to grow day by day, we look forward to accelerating progress on reducing harmful drinking together. For more details, please see the link in the first comment. The summit also marked the release of the Standards In Action report, which we will be spotlighting in the coming weeks – but for those who are eager to explore now, it is also linked in the first comment. #GSC100 #WholeOfSociety #PartnersforProgress

What a privilege to visit the vineyards of Burgundy, one of the world heritage sites recognised by the UN. Thank you Areni Global, the world’s only fine wine think tank, for inviting me to speak. It was an honour to join Felicity Carter and Dr. Laura Catena to discuss the future of the wine industry and how it can support the UN strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. And what a fantastic location. We were beautifully hosted among some of the very “climats”, or unique vineyard parcels, that the UN recognised in 2015 because they meet two of UNESCO’s world heritage criteria: they represent an exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition, and an outstanding example of a traditional land-use.