The beverage alcohol industry has been involved as an active and legitimate stakeholder throughout the development of the WHO Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol, which acknowledges that there is a need for comprehensive action across numerous sectors, including the beverage alcohol industry, governments, and civil society organizations.
As part of a broader effort by the beverage alcohol industry to do its part to encourage responsible drinking and discourage excessive or irresponsible drinking, industry initiatives to reduce harmful drinking are now active around the world, including in low- and middle-income countries. The International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP, www.icap.org) has developed a compilation of active or recent social responsibility programs and initiatives implemented by beverage alcohol companies or by organizations that are funded, wholly or in part, by the industry. The listing includes programs run in partnership with other community stakeholders.
The content and summaries are based on information volunteered by contributing companies and organizations. The listing is not exhaustive, but is intended to illustrate the wide range of programs aimed at preventing alcohol misuse or encouraging responsible drinking. The information provided includes details about programs focused on drink driving, server responsibility and training, underage drinking, responsible drinking and misuse prevention, corporate social responsibility, and self-regulation of alcohol advertising and marketing.
This Compendium of Industry Action will be updated on a regular basis.
With the adoption by the World Health Assembly in May 2010 of the Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol, attention around the world now turns toward its implementation. The strategy calls for action at Member State level, naming various key stakeholders in the process.
The engagement of producers of beverage alcohol and other “economic operators” is explicitly laid out in the WHO Strategy.
“Economic operators in alcohol production and trade are important players in their roles as developers, producers, distributors, marketers and sellers of alcoholic beverages. They are especially encouraged to consider effective ways to prevent and reduce harmful use of alcohol within their core roles mentioned above, including self-regulatory actions and initiatives. They could also contribute by making available data on sales and consumption of alcoholic beverages.”
Many of the world’s leading alcohol production companies have asked the International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP, www.icap.org) to work intensively with industry members and other stakeholders in countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Latin America to support the implementation of the WHO Strategy. ICAP is actively engaged with industry stakeholders in all regions to provide support and coordinate the process of reporting to the international community in 2013 on progress in industry engagement.