The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) has released its fourth annual Producers' Commitments progress report. IARD is a trade-funded not-for-profit organisation that focuses on the industry's responsible drinking efforts. The Beer, Wine and Spirits Producers’ Commitments to Reduce Harmful Drinking were launched in 2012 as a five-year plan of commitments.
The 2016 report covers the fourth year of activity and includes 9 case studies from around the world. All facts and figures have been externally monitored and evaluated by Accenture Strategy and assurance is provided by KPMG. As far as Europe is concerned, the report focuses on Poland and Spain.
In Poland, a number of initiatives are running to address consumer misperceptions about alcohol beverages and reduce harmful drinking. Strong focus on drink-driving for many years is delivering results with a 55% decrease of alcohol-related road crashes over the last decade. Spirits producers partnered with the NGO MONAR to deliver the “Positive Learning Laboratory,” an intervention to promote healthy lifestyles among young people and deter underage drinking. The programme was developed with the support of scientists and health experts to emphasize the importance of complying with the legal purchase age of 18 in Poland. According to the most recent studies (ESPAD & HBSC), Poland is witnessing a decreasing trend in underage drinking but more needs to be done.
Spain is focusing on the same areas as Poland with great success regarding underage drinking. The Ministry of Health together with a network of 300 town halls and public institutions, 170 celebrities and the spirits producers (FEBE) have joined forces around the campaign, “Not a single drop for minors”. Spain is among the countries with the highest decline in weekly alcohol consumption by 11, 13 and 15 year olds.
