Responsible consumption commitments - Enjoy Responsibly Day 2014-5

CEOs announce collective pledge to reduce harmful drinking

In 2012, for the first time ever, 12 major global alcohol businesses joined forces to develop a wide-ranging set of commitments aimed at reducing the impact of alcohol-related harm. Following a five-month development process, the commitments were launched at a specially created conference in Washington DC in October 2012.

The commitments within this new, collective pledge cover ten specific actions grouped into five key areas:

- Reducing under-age drinking through enforcement of current laws and by encouraging governments to introduce and enforce minimum purchase ages

- Continuing to strengthen and expand marketing codes of practice that are rooted in our resolve not to engage in marketing that could encourage excessive and irresponsible consumption, with a particular focus on digital marketing

- Making responsible product innovations and developing easily understood symbols or equivalent words to discourage drinking and driving and consumption by pregnant women and underage youth

- Reducing drinking and driving by collaborating with governments and non-governmental organisations to educate consumers and enforce existing laws

- Enlisting the support of retailers to reduce harmful drinking and create 'guiding principles of responsible beverage alcohol retailing'.

HEINEKEN believes that these global commitments send an important message that the industry is united in its view that alcohol can, and should be, consumed responsibly and that the industry needs to play its part wherever and however it can to ensure that this is the case.

The commitments will be implemented throughout the HEINEKEN business over the course of the next five years. Clear goals, budgets, timeframes and measurements will be put in place for all signatories. In addition, an independent third party will audit the participating 'companies' compliance throughout the five-year period and will report publicly on progress on an annual basis. This will start from the end of 2013.

Brewing a Better Future: It is HEINEKEN's strategy for creating shared, sustainable value: for our company, for society and for the planet. And it is fundamental to how we do business. Developed with our stakeholders and based on insight into global trends, our strategy focuses on the four areas where we can make the biggest difference: water, CO2, local sourcing and responsible consumption. These are underpinned by our values and behaviours: living our values, leading by example, and working together to make a difference.