FDBusiness.com

On September 18 and beyond, three of the world’s largest brewers – Anheuser-Busch InBev, Carlsberg and Heineken, as well as local brewers and beer associations – are joining forces to lead Global Beer Responsibility Day (GBRD), a worldwide effort to promote the responsible consumption of beer.

In its first year as a global, collaborative effort, brewers, along with many other local partners, will focus on reducing the harmful use of alcohol and promoting responsible enjoyment of beer in communities around the world. Global Beer Responsibility Day is just one part of brewers’ year-round commitment – both locally and globally – to promote responsible consumption of their products.

“We know that by coordinating our activities and by making Global Beer Responsibility Day a truly collaborative effort, we can achieve much greater reach and impact with our programs than if each of us acts alone,” says Carlos Brito, Chief Executive Officer at Anheuser-Busch InBev. “In fact, we look forward to continuing to work with any interested partners to develop programs that promote responsible and moderate consumption.”

Brewers will activate approximately 60,000 employees in 62 countries, with the goal of directly engaging more than 1 million consumers and close to 1 million retailers, and reaching another 10 million consumers through communications activities with drink driving and underage consumption prevention initiatives, bartender and server trainings, consumer education tools and brand-led responsibility campaigns, among many other initiatives.

For example in Mexico, through the Mexican Beer Chamber, Anheuser-Busch InBev, HEINEKEN and craft brewers, aim to inspire more than 200,000 retailers to commit to requesting young adults to show official ID before selling alcohol to them. This builds on the success of the brewers’ collaboration in 2014 where retailers made a pledge not to sell alcohol to underage consumers.

In Brazil, over 8,000 employees at Anheuser-Busch InBev and HEINEKEN are activating “Dia de Responsa” to prevent underage drinking, attempting to reach almost 250,000 retailers and more than 2.5 million consumers. And in Russia, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Carlsberg and HEINEKEN and EFES are executing an ID-checking program aiming to visit more than 80,000 retail accounts and reach more than 500,000 consumers with responsible drinking messages.

“Beer plays an important role in local cultures and economies and together we need to continue to contribute to this positive impact of beer in society by promoting that our products should be consumed responsibly as a part of a balanced lifestyle,” said Cees ‘t Hart, Chief Executive Officer at Carlsberg.

“The industry as a whole is setting commitments and taking concrete actions. By engaging with all interested groups in society, from governments to retailers and to parents, we can make a positive impact on alcohol abuse. It is time to embrace the opportunity. Global Beer Responsibility Day is a catalyst for increased action.” says Jean-François van Boxmeer, Chief Executive Officer at Heineken.

“It is our responsibility as brewers and brewing associations to prioritize tackling the harmful use of alcohol,” says Denita Wawn, chair of the Worldwide Brewing Alliance and CEO of the Brewers Association of Australia and New Zealand. “This day is a moment for us to share our successes, reflect on our challenges and make a collective commitment to the work yet to be done.”

The Worldwide Brewing Alliance (WBA) was established in 2003 with the objective of disseminating and exchanging good practices and information on social responsibility, environmental sustainability and product integrity issues. The WBA represents nearly 88% of the world beer production through its brewing sector members from Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Latin America, Russia, the Ukraine and the USA.