CSR in Italy
This overview refers to CSR-projects on wine and alcoholic beverage industry interventions in schools, aimed at students, teachers, and—in some cases—families. The focus is on corporate social responsibility (CSR), alcohol prevention and so-called conscious consumption.
The data are delivered by Eurocare Italia (www.eurocareitalia.it) and by AICAT, the Italian Association of Local Alcohol Clubs ( https://aicat.net/).
1) The CSR-Framework of the Italian Ministry of Health
Prevention Plan 2020-2025 (Ministry of Health). This is a reference document for health promotion and prevention policies, which includes the school context and the topic of addictions (including alcohol). This is not a wine industry project, but it provides the institutional framework within which many CSR initiatives of the wine industry are located. Link
2) CSR-projects promoted or supported by the wine industry for schools
a) Education on responsible drinking and wine culture
*Project “Responsible Drinking and Wine Culture in Schools” – Italian Sommelier Association of Veneto (AIS Veneto); This project consists of meetings in secondary schools on responsible drinking, the cultural value of wine, and the distinction between consumption and abuse; students and teachers are involved.
*Project “Doc Delle Venezie – Re.N.Is.A.” This partnership brings agricultural schools and the wine sector together to train young people in wine culture, innovation, and responsible wine consumption. It also promotes internships and the transition from school to work. Teacher training and refresher courses are also provided.
b) Structured prevention programs (often supported by the industry)
*Project “Smashed”. 2025 This project is an international program for the prevention of alcohol abuse among adolescents (12-14 years of age), based on interactive theatre and films and classroom workshops to discuss ‘responsible drinking’. Support from beverage companies is recommended. It involves students and teachers. The program is funded by the multinational beverage company Diageo (producer of Guinness, Smirnoff, etc.). The program was launched in Italy in 2020 and subsequently implemented with live performances in schools. Link
*Project “AIS Veneto; 2026
This CSR project proposes responsible drinking education in schools. The aim of the series of meetings is to raise awareness among young people and promote wine as a cultural and local heritage. It proposes also responsible drinking education in schools. The aim of the series of meetings is to raise awareness among young people and to promote wine as a cultural and local heritage.) links: wineitaly and vitae.aisitalia
Promotion text of AIS Veneto
The aim of the series of meetings is to raise awareness among young people and promote wine as a cultural and local heritage.
These are the central themes of the series of meetings offered by the Italian Sommelier Association of Veneto to several secondary schools in the region. The aim is to raise awareness among young people about the proper consumption of alcoholic beverages, providing them with the critical tools and knowledge to help them approach wine with awareness.
“Our presence in schools as industry experts,” states Gianpaolo Breda , President of AIS Veneto, “aims to offer a significant and concrete contribution. It’s not just about raising awareness, but also about taking responsibility for education with the support of local schools and professional organizations. The initiative also aims to strengthen the link between education and the world of work: the young people we will be speaking to in the classroom will one day be ambassadors of our cultural identity in the restaurant and hospitality world. Our educational offerings are also present in the post-diploma programs of ITS Academy with the Food & Wine Tourism module in Treviso and Verona, and in the training program of Enaip with the Food and Wine Tourism Marketing program in Conegliano. We will also be involved in the programs of the Venice Bilateral Tourism Board.”
A commitment that doesn’t end in the classroom: to engage even more closely with the younger generations, AIS Veneto has also revamped its language, adopting more direct, authentic, and engaging digital communication. The goal is to strengthen its social media presence and engage with young people who are curious and passionate about the world of wine and hospitality.
The new approach is confirmed by the numbers: in the first half of 2025, the share of under-35s enrolled in AIS Veneto’s Sommelier courses reached 40% of the total , an increase compared to the previous two years. This figure highlights how the younger generations no longer view wine simply as a passion, but also as a concrete professional opportunity. At the same time, the training offerings in the region are growing, with 27 courses starting between September and October at 17 locations, 12 of which are entry-level.
© RIPRODUZIONE RISERVATA
19/09/2025 link to the text
*Project “The future of Wine” ; 2025 The future of wine: the DOC delle Venezie project – National Network of Agricultural Institutes in schools and the VinaMundi ; this project promotes ???
*Projects ‘Smashed and Unplugged Studentville’ (2025). The goal of these projects is to keep adolescents away from alcohol. The wine-industry is not involved. Link to the program.
*ONAV Course Project – Higher Education Institute “Bettino Ricasoli” (Siena) Academy Year 2024-2025. The project includes: theoretical and practical lessons; training in wine quality; a cultural and technical approach; integration into the school curriculum. The ONAV initiative is concrete, institutionalized, and widespread across multiple schools, rather than a one-off event. Upon completion of the theoretical and practical lessons and obtaining a first-degree tasting diploma, students will be able to appreciate the true quality of wines and recognize and describe the differences between them. In doing so, they utilize the new knowledge and experience gained by tasting wines selected to represent local, international, traditional, and innovative production styles and techniques.
*ONAV Project “Responsible drinking through history, education, and culture” This project, established with the direct involvement of ONAV, was originally intended for students in the final three years of secondary school and has subsequently been expanded to other school levels. The text clearly states: the project was developed for students in the final three years of secondary school; the goal is to prevent alcohol abuse; the method is cultural and historical, not overtly promotional, but rather an encouragement to “responsible drinking”. Link?
c) Project for hotel schools
*Project “Responsibility in Education” from the Birra Moretti Foundation (Beverage Sector). This project concerns educational interventions at hotel schools for fifth-year students of all ages, aimed at moderate and responsible alcohol consumption. It is explicitly presented as a social responsibility initiative within the sector; in 2022, more than 4,800 students participated in the program at 31 schools in various Italian regions (Lombardy, Lazio, Puglia, Sicily, and Sardinia). The stated goal is to promote moderate and responsible alcohol consumption among future employees in the HORECA sector (hotels, hospitality, restaurants, cafes/catering). (link?).
- Alcohol use if Italian youngsters is high
According to experts from the Italian National Institute of Public Health, risky alcohol use among young people remains high, and prevention policies independent of the industry are needed. In 2023, approximately 1.26 million young people aged 11 to 24 engaged in risky alcohol use. These data are frequently used in the debate regarding the need for prevention strategies independent of the industry.
- Comment of EUROCARE ITALIA
Eurocare Italia seeks to raise awareness among the general population and to unveil the mechanisms and contradictions inherent in the healthcare, social, economic and political management of alcohol-related problems, which are based on conflicts of interest that are incompatible with public health imperatives.
With regard to alcohol consumption among young people, Eurocare Italia draws on a substantial body of international scientific literature to highlight the role of exposure to alcohol marketing and promotion in both lowering the age of first contact with alcohol and increasing levels of consumption among those young people who already drink.
Regarding CSR projects, several international reviews have concluded that they lack a scientific evidence base. Research has shown that more than 95% of alcohol industry actions lack scientific support, while 25% are in fact potentially promotional activities for a brand or product* (*The Seven Key Messages of the Alcohol Industry, EUCAM).
It should also be noted that prevention and health promotion projects supported by the alcohol industry can rely on substantial financial resources and organisational capacity, whereas public funded activities currently operate with limited budgets, further reduced in recent years by spending cuts. This creates a significant imbalance in the presence and visibility of different projects within schools. As a result, the comparison between independent initiatives and those supported by industry is structurally and markedly unequal.
In Italy, such CSR activities in schools are mainly associated with the wine sector and aim to emphasize the cultural, social and traditional dimensions of wine consumption. “Moderate drinking” is promoted as a protective drinking pattern in relation to alcohol-related harms, while the risks are often minimized or, in some cases, denied altogether.
Many CSR initiatives are delivered in schools without any involvement of families. Only a few weeks ago, Italy adopted legislation requiring written informed parental consent before schools can provide relationship and sexuality education in secondary schools. No comparable requirement has ever been proposed for educational interventions concerning alcohol consumption, despite alcohol being a harmful behavior with well-documented health and social consequences.
It would be important to encourage schools to adopt a Code of Ethics for the education system, providing that educational programs and interventions funded by, or influenced by, organizations with direct commercial interests should not be accepted. The aim would be to prevent potential conflicts of interest and to safeguard the independence of educational content. This principle is particularly relevant in relation to products for which there is clear scientific evidence of harm to health and safety.
- Comment of AICAD.
AICAT, the Italian Association of Local Alcohol Clubs, is very active to convince the Italian politicians and citizens of the risks of the interference of the wine industry with alcohol education for young people. In their view it does more harm than good. Their opinion is that the initiatives promoted by the wine/beverage sector in schools, often framed as CSR, focusing on what they call conscious consumption and cultural value. The health consequences of alcohol are often hardly mentioned. Also direct parent involvement is less explicit: many initiatives mention students and teachers; the role of families is sometimes indirect or not detailed; evidence-based programs are often external to the industry but coexist within the same educational ecosystem.
The ONAV (National Organization of Wine Tasters) initiatives deserve special mention. It’s about teaching the history of wine in high schools. ONAV officially declares its commitment to educational projects in high schools aimed at disseminating wine culture and conscious consumption. This statement appears in several popular and institutional articles describing the association’s educational activities.
- Some extra links
ONAV Projects Activating Directly in High Schools
Several schools publish ONAV projects on their websites, integrated into their curriculum, aimed at final-year students. Alcohol and Schools: The Return of Responsibility in Education for a Conscious Future VinaMundi 27.03.2025
https://corrieredelvino.it/news/alcol-torna-nelle-scuole-responsibility-in-education/
Girard V., The Role of Education in Responsible Alcohol Consumption 14 August 2025 https://arbre-a-biere.fr/it/il-ruolo-delleducazione-nel-consumo-responsabile-di-alcol/
Alcohol Safety in Schools: Educating Students for Responsible Choices CyAlcohol Dec 24, 2025 https://cyalcohol.com/article/should-schools-include-alcohol-safety-instruction
Discover the potential of your senses with ONAV” Heroes of Taste 05.09.2024 https://www.eroidelgusto.it/scoprire-le-potenzialita-dei-propri-sensi-con-onav/