Responsible
Consumption
Impact A
When consumed in moderation, beer can be part of a
healthy, balanced lifestyle. It is though an unfortunate fact
that a minority of people abuse alcohol and consequently
harm themselves or others. This is a serious, complex
problem and we have long been committed to playing our
part in the solution. This includes communication to raise
awareness, self-regulation and working with governments
and partners to suggest appropriate and effective legislative
measures which - when rigorously enforced - will support
a real improvement in levels of abuse.
"Responsibility is at the
heart of our Alcohol Policy.
We continue to step up
our activities with the
Heineken® brand and
work with others to win
the battle against abuse."
Brewing a Better Future
However, no single player has responsibility for,
nor can, deliver the solution. Success requires
working in partnership and each player in the
'chain' to accept their responsibility and act. Our
belief is that as Heineken and the industry we have
a responsibility and a crucial role to play. Because
we take this responsibility very seriously, Brewing
a Better Future includes a comprehensive strategy
to continuously encourage responsible
consumption.
This approach has been completely integrated
into the way we market and sell our brands.
The approach runs from advertising to product
development; from packaging to online
information; from information on labels to
information on beer cups; from developing the
low and non-alcohol beer categories to, in one
case, withdrawing a product found to be at
higher risk of abuse by consumers.
In addition, we work closely with on-trade and
off-trade customers, which sell our beers to
consumers. We support them with training,
serving and promotional guidelines. We also ensure
our own employees understand the importance
of responsible consumption. Our Cool@Work
initiative gives our employees the understanding
of their responsibilities in relation to the beers they
brew, market and sell and helps managers deal
with staff with potential drinking problems.
Over the next few years, we will expand all
our responsible consumption programming to
increase coverage and action across both
markets and brands. By 2015 all our brands
will display a culturally relevant responsible
consumption message. Along the way, we
will encourage others to follow suit and
Alexis Nasard
Chief Commercial Officer
