The online database drinksinitiatives.eu has been produced by the European spirits organisation CEPS and the European Forum for Responsible Drinking (EFRD). It offers up-to-date information on initiatives from across Europe to tackle underage drinking and drink-driving, to promote responsible drinking (in particular to “at-risk” groups, such as pregnant women), responsible service/selling of alcohol and to raise alcohol awareness in the workplace.
Jamie Fortescue, director general of CEPS said: “85% of Europeans consume our products in moderation, enjoying them as a pleasant experience. Unfortunately, a minority does drink to excess. As producers of alcoholic drinks we realise that we have a responsibility to promote responsible consumption – this database highlights over 300 of our initiatives from across 23 European countries and also measures their impact.
“We hope this new initiative will encourage producers from across Europe to work together to fight alcohol abuse and misuse by sharing best practice and ideas. If a Vodka producer in Poland has launched a successful campaign to curb underage and binge drinking for example, I want Scotch whisky, Greek ouzo and Hungarian palinka producers to be able to pick it up and replicate the model...”
The spirits industry is leading a number of initiatives both privately and in public partnerships across Europe to tackle the misuse of alcohol. These include: providing responsible drinking messages in commercial communications, codes of conduct on marketing, product development, campaigns to tackle underage drinking and drink driving, and support for educational initiatives.
“We believe that initiatives to tackle alcohol misuse require commitment and cooperation between all stakeholders, including the spirits industry. The database is a ‘one stop shop’ for all – producers, decision-makers, educators and public health organisations now have a comprehensive source of information on some of the most successful campaigns from across Europe to reduce alcohol related harm. We hope this resource will inspire a whole new range of more effective prevention policies and programmes in the future,” ended Fortescue.
The database is available at www.drinksinitiatives.eu
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