Best practice around the world by Pernod Ricard lists the steps taken to promote sensible consumption of alcohol.

Since its creation, Pernod Ricard has increased its responsible consumption initiatives with the founding of IREB (Alcoholic Drinks Scientific Research Institute), that of the "European Forum for Responsible Drinking" in 1990 and the introduction of internal advertising monitoring procedures in 2005.

Today, Pernod Ricard is accelerating and internationalising its initiatives.  Thus in 2008, 30 countries were concerned by the rollout of the Group's responsible consumption policy. A report entitled "Alcohol: staying in control – Best practice around the world by Pernod Ricard" lists the steps taken, focusing on the following:

• Promoting sensible consumption,   
• Avoiding drink driving,
• Making young people aware of the risks of alcohol,   
• Dissuading pregnant women from drinking,
• Making staff aware of their responsibilities.

Moderation is the key word for Pernod Ricard and its subsidiaries worldwide.

Pernod Ricard promotes sensible consumption, in line with the World Health Organisation's safer drinking limits. This is reflected in the Group's advertising policy.

Pernod Ricard has thus adopted an in-house ethics code, to which all subsidiaries must comply: it sets requirements that far exceed general provisions included in professional codes, such as a ban on nudity and associating alcohol and motor sports. In order to guarantee its observance, Pernod Ricard has set up an In-house Approval Committee, which exercises prior control over all campaigns of the Group's international brands.

In addition, the Group also carries out campaigns that are purely aimed at advocating sensible consumption. Lastly, all advertising campaigns issued by the Group worldwide now include a moderation or prevention message.

15 Pernod Ricard subsidiaries lead preventative action against drink driving

In Europe: Pernod Ricard signed the European Road Safety Charter at the end of 2007. The Group is thus committed to taking steps with its consumers and personnel to reduce drink driving risks.

In Italy, a large-scale exercise, aimed at night club consumers, DJs and Group personnel, targeted over 300,000 people.  
In France, as part of the Road Safety Charter signed in 2002 and renewed in 2008, the Pernod and Ricard companies:

• Implement the designated driver initiative for all the events they organise,
• Promote the official French Road Safety slogans: "Drivers don't drink" and "Who's driving?",
• Distribute prevention kits developed by Entreprise et Prévention.  For example, 300,000 breathalysers were distributed this year as part of promotion exercises.

Outside Europe, the Group's subsidiaries in China, Thailand, India, Australia, New Zealand, Korea and Venezuela also led often highly innovative preventative campaigns.

Acceleration of steps taken to prevent underage drinking and increase young people's awareness of the potential dangers of alcohol.

Based on each country's specific features, Pernod Ricard's subsidiaries put initiatives into place to protect young people and increase their awareness of the dangers of alcohol.

In France, Pernod Ricard supports the Bill that would increase the legal age for buying alcohol from 16 to 18 and bring the open-bar practice at students' parties to an end.   

Nationwide advertising campaigns to curb "Binge Drinking" have been launched by Pernod Ricard USA, Irish Distillers and Pernod Ricard UK.

In Spain and Sweden, educational programmes on alcohol have been developed for schools in order to delay the age at which young people start drinking and set the benchmark for responsible behaviour. The programmes were thus rolled out to over one million Spanish teenagers and 600,000 Swedish pupils.    

Extension of the "pregnant woman" symbol to the 27 European Union countries to dissuade future mothers consuming alcohol.

In December 2006, Pernod Ricard decided to extend adding the "pregnant woman" symbol to its products throughout the European Union. This logo is affixed to over 550 million bottles every year.

Generalisation of internal codes of conduct in 2008

Early in 2008, Pernod Ricard asked each of its 70 subsidiaries to prepare an internal code of conduct and establish behavioural rules for all its promotions, so that all personnel is made aware of the risks of excessive alcohol consumption and each of them becomes an ambassador for the Group's responsible consumption policy.

Pierre Pringuet, CEO of Pernod Ricard, declared: "Pernod Ricard chose to adopt a pro-active attitude and recommends a moderate and responsible consumption of its products.  This is a binding commitment and I have made it a major focus of the Group's strategy".