EUCAM has begun compiling an inventory of educational projects of the alcohol industry in Europe. These activities are referred to as CSR: Corporate Social Responsibility. So far, programs from England, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland and Spain have been included on the EUCAM website. Other countries may follow later.
To the layperson, these projects appear to contribute to raising awareness about the risks associated with alcohol consumption. In reality, however, they serve the opposite purpose: improving the alcohol industry’s political and public image while emphasizing the importance of so-called “responsible” drinking. Consequently, CSR projects directly undermine efforts to raise awareness of the health risks linked to alcohol use and to implement effective policy measures—such as banning alcohol marketing, raising prices, and limiting the number of retail outlets. CSR projects normalize alcohol consumption rather than de-normalizing it.
EUCAM urges fellow organizations to follow Ireland’s example. In Ireland, CSR activities aimed at education are banned. The main argument is that organized education about alcohol for young people is the task of an independent reliable expert and not of the alcohol industry or a party funded by the alcohol industry.
It is noteworthy, among other things, that the impression exists that schools and parents do not always realize that the alcohol industry initiates, implements, and/or funds these CSR programs.
Poster of a CSR project in Belgium. The project includes a large amount of information distributed digitally, via posters and banners. Students who answer the accompanying DRINKiQ quiz correctly receive a reward.