CSR in Portugal

Alcohol-industry corporate social responsibility initiatives involving young people in Portugal, 2011–2026

Scope and approach

This briefing describes selected initiatives funded or implemented by alcohol-industry trade associations in Portugal.

Historical commitment and monitoring documents from the Portuguese National Forum on Alcohol and Health (FNAS), supplied for the original country draft, are cited as unpublished archival material [20].

Overview

Initiative

Industry actor

Period/status

Main audience

Menores Nem Uma Gota

ANEBE (spirits industry)

2018–ongoing

Minors; parents; teachers and educators

Falar Claro

APCV / Cervejeiros de Portugal (beer industry)

2011–2020; still referenced online

Parents; teachers; education and youth workers; indirectly minors

Isto Não É Sobre Trotinetas

APCV /  Cervejeiros de Portugal Portugal (beer industry)

Launched 2023; second edition 2024

Young people; e-scooter users and other road users

 

What the independent Portuguese CSR study adds

Pulido Valente and colleagues examined public communications from ten alcohol-industry actors in Portugal. Alcohol information/education and corporate philanthropy accounted for 65% of the CSR material analysed. The study identified conflicts between industry-led public-health activity and commercial objectives, and concluded that CSR can weaken health-protection and alcohol-harm-prevention efforts. [8]

 

1. Menores Nem Uma Gota – ANEBE

Industry actor: ANEBE –  Associação Nacional de Empresas de Bebidas Espirituosas, the Portuguese spirits-industry association. [1]

Campaign name: Menores Nem Uma Gota, rendered here as “Not a Drop for Minors”. The Portuguese initiative was adapted from the Spanish Menores ni una gota campaign, created in 2013 with the Spanish Ministry of Health by the Federación Española de Bebidas Espirituosas (FEBE), in english The Spanish Federation of Spirits. [2,3]

Target groups: The primary audience is children and adolescents under 18 (minors). Parents, families, teachers, educators and other adults who work with young people are secondary audiences. Campaign material describes a manual and sessions for young people aged 12–18. [2,6,7]

Stated goals

The initiative is described as seeking  seeking “to mobilize Portuguese society to reduce alcohol consumption by minors” in connection with the national plan on addictive behaviours (PNRCAD). [8] and ““create a national digital movement advocating zero alcohol for minors”, with aims to reduce underage drinking, delay the age of first alcohol use, increase awareness of risk, make underage drinking less socially acceptable, and help parents and teachers establish clearer rules. It presents the goal of reducing the number of minors who drink and reducing consumption among those who already do. [2,7]

Campaign materials also invoke Portuguese legislation prohibiting the supply or sale of alcoholic beverages to minors. Decree-Law No. 106/2015 amended the national regime so that the prohibition applies to all alcoholic beverages for people under 18. [4,5]

Duration and activities

The programme was launched in Portugal in December 2018 as a commitment within FNAS. Historical material describes an initial 2018–2020 period and reactivation in 2022. The industry-run Drinks Initiatives portal lists the programme as “2018 > Ongoing”, and the dedicated website remained active when checked in July 2026. [2,6,20]

  • School and community activities, including talks, performances, information materials, flyers and events addressing myths, risks and consequences of alcohol use. [7,20]
  • Training and workshops for parents, teachers, educators, psychosocial professionals and students, supported by a Guide for Educators; archival material also refers to student ambassadors. [2,20]
  • Website, blog and social-media communication using #menoresnemumagota and emojis directed to minors (called “menojis”), together with radio appearances, media partnerships, public ambassadors and continuing public-relations activity. [6,8,20]
  • A digital web series developed during the COVID-19 period. [20]
  • Festival activity, including “18+” wristbands and training for bar staff on age checks and refusal of service. An ICAD report documents ANEBE’s 18+ operation at MEO Kalorama in 2024. [2,18,20]

Partners and public-sector involvement

Organisations reported across different years and activities include the Madeira Regional Health Secretariat (SRS-RAM); the Portuguese Association of Retail Companies (APED); the National Youth Council( CNJ); local authorities and parish unions in Cascais–Estoril, Porto and Lordelo do Ouro–Massarelos (Unions of Parishes of Cascais-Estoril and Lordelo do Ouro-Massarelos; ANAFRE – National Association of Parishes

; the National Confederation of Parents’ Associations CONFAP; nursing and medical student organisations FNAEE – Nursing Students Federation; ANEM – Medical Students’ Association; the National Association of Parishes; and organizations responsible for addictive behaviours and dependencies -ICAD but also KOSMICARE (a NGO that is a harm reduction peer support NGO founded in 2016- https://kosmicare.org/eng/about/] . The exact partner list varies by year and. [2,7,8,18,20]

Celebrities, athletes, actors, journalists, and youth associations serve as public ambassadors.

The independent study cites industry material presenting Menores Nem Uma Gota as a partner of the Child-Friendly School Project and describing the provision of defibrillators and health kits with the Madeira Regional Health Secretariat.

Independent public-health appraisal

The Portuguese study identifies Menores Nem Uma Gota as a social-aspects public-relations organisation (SAPRO). It also states that “the idea of moderation is included in programs designed for minors”, despite the appropriate public-health message that minors should not consume alcohol. [8]

Portuguese advertising law states that alcohol advertising must not be specifically directed at minors and prohibits alcohol-brand references in communications and events involving minors, as well as alcohol advertising in educational settings or activities specifically intended for minors. The available evidence supports legal and ethical scrutiny of industry-funded youth education, but does not establish that this campaign breached the Advertising Code. [8,10]

Evaluation and reported outputs

The Drinks Initiatives profile reports 33 training sessions reaching 65 adults, seven promotional events, 70 volunteers, approximately 25,000 wristbands distributed and 100 bar staff trained. These are sponsor-reported activity outputs; the public profile provides limited methodological detail. [2]

Historical programme documents refer to monthly monitoring, annual reports, questionnaires and media indicators. No independent impact evaluation, comparator group or published behavioural outcome data were identified in the sources reviewed. Media exposure, social-media activity and numbers of materials distributed should not be interpreted as evidence that the programme changed alcohol use or reduced harm. [9,20]

Key links

2. Falar Claro – APCV / Cervejeiros de Portugal

Industry actor: Associação Portuguesa dos Produtores de Cerveja (APCV), or Cervejeiros de Portugal, the Portuguese brewers’ association. [11]

Campaign name: Falar Claro, translated as “Speak Clearly”. The programme was implemented in phases from 2011 to 2020. It remains referenced on the brewers’ website, but no evidence was identified that the full programme is currently active. [12,20]

Target groups: Parents and families, teachers, educators, holiday-camp staff, parish or community workers and, indirectly, children and adolescents under 18. [12,20]

Stated goals and content

The current industry webpage describes Falar Claro as providing teachers, educators and other professionals with tools to address “responsible alcohol consumption” and the health risks associated with alcohol use by young people. [8,12]

Historical source material states that the programme aimed to: [20]

  • develop and distribute a Parents’ Manual to support discussions about alcohol and health;
  • reduce alcohol consumption among people under 18 and promote changes in attitudes among children and adolescents;
  • expand nationally through schools, families, holiday camps and parish youth projects;
  • become a reference initiative and generate national media visibility.

Historical FNAS records presented the programme as aligned with the Forum’s objectives and as preventing risky or harmful alcohol use among young people at ages when alcohol consumption, although illegal, was described as already occurring. The initiative was also presented by the brewers as evidence of corporate social responsibility. [20]

Phases described in historical records

  • 2011–2012: development and national distribution of a Parents’ Manual, two press conferences and a national public-relations campaign. [20]
  • 2014–2015: awareness sessions for parents, camp monitors and parish technicians; certified 12-hour teacher training; manuals and leaflets; a pedagogical video described in archival material as being distributed without reference to APCV; monitoring reports; and a national communication campaign. [20]
  • 2018–2020: updated video, slide and poster materials; continued training and awareness sessions; annual monitoring; a final internal evaluation; and national media outreach. An app was mentioned as planned, but no evidence of implementation was identified. [20]

Partners

Partners named across the programme’s phases included the National Confederation of Parents’ Associations (CONFAP), the National Teachers’ Association (ANP), the Directorate-General for Education, the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth, SICAD, the National Association of Parishes, schools, holiday camps and parish councils. Partner participation should be dated by phase, because not all organisations were necessarily involved throughout the programme. [11,12,20]

Independent public-health appraisal

The 2024 Portuguese study identified alcohol information and education as a major CSR strategy. In Falar Claro, language about “responsible” consumption is used in material intended to support adults working with young people. This is less unequivocal than stating that minors should not drink and is consistent with a broader framing in which harm is associated mainly with abusive, excessive or irresponsible consumption. [8,12]

The emphasis on parents, teachers and individual decision-making may shift attention away from structural measures. Public-sector and institutional participation may also provide industry initiatives with credibility, visibility and reputational benefit. WHO recommends explicit identification and management of conflicts of interest where alcohol-industry actors participate in alcohol-policy or related public-health activities. [8,9,13]

Evaluation

Evaluation appears to have been internal and mainly output-focused: manuals distributed, sessions delivered, professionals trained, media exposure and estimated reach. No independent assessment, comparator group or published behavioural outcome data were identified. A sponsor-reported claim that the final phase reached up to one million young people is retained as an archival claim, but the method used to define and calculate reach was not available. [20]

No dedicated campaign website was identified. Current public information is available through the Cervejeiros de Portugal website, while detailed phase information derives mainly from historical FNAS submissions and monitoring records. [12,20]

Key link

3. Isto Não É Sobre Trotinetas – APCV/Cervejeiros de Portugal

The campaign title is rendered here as “This Is Not About E-Scooters”. Portuguese sources use both trotinetas and trotinetes; this briefing uses the wording on the Cervejeiros de Portugal youth webpage. [12,17]

The campaign was launched on 12 July 2023 as a road-safety initiative led by Cervejeiros de Portugal. It is described as directed at young people and e-scooter users. The available material does not establish that the campaign specifically targeted people under 18. [12,14,15]

Stated goal and message

The stated aim is to raise awareness of the risks of riding an e-scooter after consuming alcohol and of the importance of complying with road-safety and traffic rules. The brewers’ association presented the central message as: “Se for conduzir, beba apenas bebidas sem álcool” (“If you are going to drive, drink only alcohol-free beverages”). [15]

The message combines road-safety communication with promotion of alcohol-free beverages as the recommended option for people intending to drive. [15]

Duration, dissemination and partners

The first edition ran during July 2023 through social media and digital billboards in Lisbon and Porto. The promoter stated that it could be reactivated in September with institutional support from the Lisbon and Porto municipalities. A second edition was reported in 2024, again using social media and digital billboards in both cities. [15,17]

Institutional partners were the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) and the Portuguese Road Safety Association (PRP). Reported supporters included the Public Security Police, the National Republican Guard, Bolt and Associação Novamente. The Lisbon and Porto municipal authorities were also listed. The 2023 launch event was attended by the Secretary of State for Civil Protection, Patrícia Gaspar. [12,14,15,17]

PRP hosted a dedicated campaign page and road-safety materials for e-scooter users. [16]

Public and industry framing

The campaign is placed on the Cervejeiros de Portugal website under “Beer and young people”, alongside Falar Claro. This places a road-safety campaign within the association’s youth-focused CSR portfolio. [12]

At the launch, the association’s president emphasised people’s behaviour, compliance with traffic rules and individual choices. The campaign therefore frames the problem primarily through personal conduct rather than broader alcohol-policy measures. [15]

Partnerships with road-safety authorities, police forces, municipalities and a government representative may provide institutional credibility and help the industry present itself as part of the solution. The promotion of alcohol-free beverages may reduce the immediate risk of alcohol-impaired riding, but it may also produce reputational or commercial value for the brewing sector and its wider product portfolio. This is an analytical interpretation, not an evaluation of campaign intent or effect. [8,9,13,15]

A media article used 1,691 reported e-scooter accidents in 2022 to introduce the campaign and referred to serious head injuries. The article did not report how many incidents involved alcohol. The overall accident figure should therefore not be interpreted as evidence of an alcohol-specific contribution to these incidents. [19]

Evaluation

No independent process, outcome or impact evaluation was identified in the publicly available material reviewed. No published data were found on transparent reach estimates, message recall, changes in alcohol use before riding, compliance with road-safety rules, or reductions in alcohol-related crashes or injuries. [12,14–17]

It is therefore not possible to determine from the available public information whether the campaign changed behaviour or reduced alcohol-related road-traffic harm. [9]

Key links

Cross-cutting conclusions

  • The independent Portuguese study analysed public industry communications and CSR strategies; it did not measure the behavioural impact of each campaign. Its contribution is to identify framing, conflicts of interest, alliances and reputation-management functions. [8]
  • Positive media coverage indicates visibility and favourable presentation, not public acceptance, effectiveness or reduced harm.
  • Public-sector partnerships may lend credibility and legitimacy to industry actors.. [8,13]
  • Legal concerns should be stated cautiously. The available evidence supports scrutiny and identifies potential tensions with advertising rules, but does not establish that a specific campaign violated Portuguese law. [8,10]
  • Independent evaluation should assess exposure, understanding, behavioural outcomes and unintended effects, rather than relying only on media metrics and sponsor-reported reach. [9]

Source limitations and editorial decisions

The historical FNAS material used in this original country draft is available trough commitments made trough the platform  [20]..

Country contribution and contact

Country contributor and reviewer: Francisca Pulido Valente, Public Health Physician, Amadora/Sintra Local Health Unit, Portugal, and author of the independent Portuguese analysis of alcohol-industry CSR cited in this briefing.

References and principal sources

  1. ANEBE. ANEBE — institutional information. Available from: https://anebe.pt/anebe/
  2. spiritsEUROPE / Drinks Initiatives. Menores Nem Uma Gota — campaign profile. Available from: https://drinksinitiatives.eu/pdf/minors-not-a-drop
  3. Espirituosos España. Menores ni una gota: Más de cien razones para que un menor no beba. Available from: https://www.espirituosos.es/Compromiso-social/Menores-ni-una-gota/
  4. Portugal. Decreto-Lei No. 106/2015, of 16 June. Available from: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/106-2015-67498687
  5. Portugal. Regime de disponibilização, venda e consumo de bebidas alcoólicas em locais públicos e abertos ao público — consolidated text of Decreto-Lei No. 50/2013. Available from: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/decreto-lei/2013-58361867
  6. Menores Nem Uma Gota. Campaign website. Available from: https://menoresnemumagota.pt/
  7. Menores Nem Uma Gota. Campanha #MenoresNemUmaGota — campaign description and target groups. Available from: https://menoresnemumagota.pt/campanha-menoresnemumagota/
  8. Pulido Valente F, Baptista AC, Vieira BS. Analysis of the Alcohol Industry’s Corporate Social Responsibility Practices in Portugal. Portuguese Journal of Public Health. 2024;42(3):240–251. doi:10.1159/000540348. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1159/000540348
  9. Mialon M, McCambridge J. Alcohol industry corporate social responsibility initiatives and harmful drinking: a systematic review. European Journal of Public Health. 2018;28(4):664–673. doi:10.1093/eurpub/cky065. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cky065
  10. Portugal. Código da Publicidade — consolidated text, including Articles 17 and 20. Available from: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/decreto-lei/1990-34537375
  11. Cervejeiros de Portugal. Quem somos — association history, members and partnerships. Available from: https://www.cervejeirosdeportugal.pt/quem-somos
  12. Cervejeiros de Portugal. Cerveja e jovens — Falar Claro and Isto Não É Sobre Trotinetas. Available from: https://www.cervejeirosdeportugal.pt/cerveja-e-jovens
  13. World Health Organization. Addressing and managing conflicts of interest in alcohol control policies. Snapshot series on alcohol control policies and practice, Brief 3. Geneva: WHO; 2022. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240044487
  14. Autoridade Nacional de Segurança Rodoviária. Campanha “Isto não é sobre trotinetas”. 12 July 2023. Available from: https://www.ansr.pt/Noticias/Pages/CampanhaTrotinetasjulho2023.aspx
  15. Cervejeiros de Portugal. Cervejeiros de Portugal lançam campanha de prevenção rodoviária dedicada a trotinetas. Available from: https://www.cervejeirosdeportugal.pt/noticias/cervejeiros-de-portugal-lancam-campanha-de-prevencao-rodoviaria-dedicada-a-trotinetas
  16. Prevenção Rodoviária Portuguesa. Isto não é sobre trotinetas — dedicated campaign page. Available from: https://prp.pt/istonaoesobretrotinetas/
  17. Cervejeiros de Portugal. Segunda edição da campanha “Isto Não É Sobre Trotinetes”. Newsletter, December 2024. Available from: https://www.cervejeirosdeportugal.pt/newsletter/dezembro-2024
  18. Instituto para os Comportamentos Aditivos e as Dependências. Intervenção do ICAD, IP no festival MEO Kalorama. 19 September 2024. Available from: https://www.icad.pt/NewsArticle/Article/95
  19. Abreu JL. “Isto Não é Sobre Trotinetes…”. AutoSport. 13 July 2023. Available from: https://www.autosport.pt/automais/isto-nao-e-sobre-trotinetes/
  20. Historical FNAS commitment, implementation and monitoring documents and source notes used in the original Portugal country draft. Unpublished archival material supplied by the country contributor; copies retained by the contributor.

All online sources were accessed or rechecked on 20 July 2026.