The image of Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting covered in tomato soup hit headlines across the world in October. Young activists from Just Stop Oil have been protesting against the use of fossil fuels by not only targeting art, but gluing themselves to landmarks and blocking motorways.
Whether or not you agree with the methods, their actions are a direct response to the lack of government effort in protecting the future of our planet.
Looking inward at the drinks industry, brands have been very good at promising zero carbon emissions and vilifying the use of plastic straws, but without any collaborative incentives, everything is disjointed. The majority of initiatives so far have been done for good PR with few tangible results.
Arguably, the focus from our industry ought to be on what we can individually change, not what we hope to. Therefore human sustainability should be the focus. Often forgotten about behind drowning polar bears and deforestation, human sustainability is the practice of protecting the people around us, both emotionally and economically. Essentially, helping people better their lives to improve our society.
If Al Gore looked at the drinks industry’s diversity, our inconvenient truth would be a lack of it. The wine industry, for example, carries the reputation of white men in red trousers, craft beer is synonymous with the hipster look and the top tier of bartending has been criticised over the years for lacking representation for people of colour. Cuban rum brand Havana Club is now putting a lot of effort into changing this.
Liam Holyoak-Rackal, Havana Club brand & cultural ambassador, has been spearheading a programme to promote diversity within the UK bar scene. “We have championed heritage through culturally empowered collaborations with artists such as Skepta, Ms Banks and most recently Burna Boy, and are now supporting minority ethnic groups within the UK on-trade community through our new collaboration with Black Eats LDN,” says Holyoak-Rackal.
“Black Eats LDN is the UK’s first and only black-owned restaurant directory, which launched in 2020 in response to the lack of exposure of black-owned restaurants in mainstream media. We’re proud to partner with the purpose-led platform to showcase the best in black-owned hospitality and support talent in the bartending community.
“Our partnership with Black Eats LDN is key to building equality in the bartending scene – which isn’t always an easy job. One of the most important things for me was authenticity, and how we could create a grassroots strategy that aligns with our larger-scale collaborations, while also supporting the on-trade community in a way that feels genuine.
“The bartending and hospitality scene is largely a white and male-dominated space and we’re doing our part to spotlight alternative voices as we continue to put diversity at the forefront. This initiative is an exciting part of our journey, and we look forward to ramping up our activity further in the coming months. On a more global scale, we’re continuing to attend trade shows – such as Bar Convent Berlin and London Cocktail Week – to bring the same vision to life among our talented community globally.”
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Prioritising diversity
Another brand which is prioritising diversity is Absolut. The Swedish vodka has been a longstanding supporter of the LGBT+ movement and its latest activation involves Olly Alexander, lead singer of Years & Years. The collaboration has seen the creation of Absolut Choir, a group of people from diverse backgrounds re-recording Years & Years hit Shine to raise awareness of their respected identities.
“When Absolut came to me with this project I instantly had so many ideas, from working with the TCC and Trans Voices to re-recording Shine, I wanted The Absolut Choir to be entirely inclusive,” says Alexander. “I have worked in this industry for a while and can genuinely say this has been one of the most diverse productions I have ever been involved in, from the crew to the people both in front of and behind the camera, it’s good to feel like things are changing. I’m so lucky to have a platform for my voice and I want to use it to put the spotlight on people and things that need to be heard. We are literally here to amplify people’s voices and I can’t wait to see what else is to come from these incredible people.”
Better body representation in fashion and the media, policy change for trans rights, and an end to marginalisation of disabled people and queer joy are all changes that The Absolut Choir wants to see. The brand is also offering its media spend (bad news for us) and social platforms to the people in The Absolut Choir and their causes to spread the awareness.
Diversity isn’t likely to be top of people’s minds when they think about sustainability, however it’s an important part of society which helps us see things in a balanced light. Without diversity nothing on a social level will change and, while it’s crucial we challenge fossil fuel usage, drinks brands can make a significant and direct change to people’s lives, which will help our industry grow in the long term. This isn’t a plea for brands to stop planting trees and cutting emissions in lieu of diversity programmes, it’s a plea to do both.
