We structure our work under three pillars that represent our commitments to our people, communities and consumers:
Our people
- We support our people to work and live as alcohol responsibility ambassadors
Our partnerships
- We work in partnership with organisations that promote alcohol responsibility
Our brands
- Our brands will promote alcohol responsibility to the people who enjoy them
A healthy population and a relationship of trust with consumers are vital to the success of our business. Our responsibility starts with ensuring our brands are distilled, packaged and promoted to a consistently high standard everywhere in the world. However, we know that alcohol can be misused. We have an important role to play in promoting responsible attitudes to alcohol.
The Edrington Marketing Code was updated this year with substantial new measures relating to digital compliance, gender stereotyping and events management. A new online training code is being developed for launch in 2020.
Our annual Alcohol Responsibility Week reinforces this training and gives all our employees the information and support they need to make positive choices around alcohol, whether in their work or home life.
In our markets, we work with and fund organisations that support responsible consumption and work to reduce the harms associated with alcohol misuse.
A selection of the work supported by Edrington in the past year includes:
- Edrington is a contributing partner to the Scotch Whisky Association’s Scotch Whisky Action Fund. This independently administered fund provided grants to six projects in 2019. This included Absafe – a project to support 1,200 young people in Aberdeenshire with alcohol awareness and the SE+ project, a programme to support young carers who care for a family member with alcohol addiction issues.
- Edrington funds the Best Bar None programme through our UK joint venture, Edrington-Beam Suntory UK. Best Bar None works to raise standards amongst licensed venues. It recognises their positive management practices to facilitate safe and enjoyable nights out and includes active promotion of responsible consumption and the Drinkaware Campaign. In 2019, Best Bar None provided awards to 46 businesses who received gold, silver and bronze awards for their work supporting safe nights out.
- Edrington is a funder of Drinkaware, an independent charity in the UK working to reduce alcohol misuse and harm and help people make better choices about drinking.
- In 2020, Edrington became a founding funder of CAP Scotland, contributing £30,000 over three years. This funding will enable CAP Scotland to launch 12 alcohol responsibility programmes across Scotland, working with local stakeholders to create tailored and evaluated alcohol intervention programmes.
- Through the Asia Pacific International Wine and Spirits Alliance (APIWSA), Edrington has contributed to tailored alcohol responsibility campaigns in China, Vietnam, Korea, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan. In May 2019, the APIWSA organised the Responsible Drinking and Traffic safety programme in Vietnam aimed at combatting drink driving. The results of these programmes have partly contributed to a reduction in traffic accidents in various regions. The full results will be released in 2020.
- In the US, Edrington is represented on the board of the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility. Known as Responsibility.org, this independent, national, not-for-profit organisation leads the fight to eliminate drink driving and underage drinking and promotes responsible decision-making regarding alcohol. FAAR programmes engage with law enforcement, public officials, educators, parents, and students. Key publications in 2019 included a study into the fight against underage drinking, multiple articles surrounding mental health and its association with alcohol and research into the educational role of parents regarding alcohol.
