CEPS raises the bar
The CEPS Roadmap 2015, described as a ground-breaking initiative by the industry, renews and extends its commitment to the promotion of responsible drinking. It sets out over a dozen new commitments to be undertaken by spirits producers across the EU by the end of 2015.
These include:
· Increasing the coverage, scale and visibility of industry initiatives
· For the first time placing responsible drinking messages (RDMs) on product labels, linking wherever possible to a national consumer information website
· Implementing at least two new awareness and education programmes per country by the end of 2015 on issues ranging from alcohol and pregnancy to drink-driving and alcohol and youth – these programmes should be bigger and better than before: nationwide, developed in partnership, sustained for at least three years and independently evaluated.
Speaking at the launch of the commitments, the CEPS Alcohol and Society Committee Chairman and Director of External Affairs at Bacardi-Martini Stefano Fresi said, “Our industry has been a leading force in the promotion of responsible alcohol consumption since 2005 when the first CEPS Charter was adopted. We have made enormous achievements since then, so with this Roadmap we want to raise the bar even higher.
“This extensive new commitment puts our sector at the forefront of industry action for responsible drinking. The Roadmap takes a targeted approach, addressing specific types of alcohol misuse. This is underpinned by clear evidence that tackling misuse effectively requires tailored interventions, not blanket restrictions, which mostly impact moderate drinkers.”
The CEPS Roadmap 2015 is the second edition of the industry’s commitments to producing, marketing and serving spirits responsibly. An independent assessment of the first 2005-2010 Charter shows that most commitments will have been achieved in full by the end of 2010. For example in 2005 only one country had a comprehensive spirits marketing Code of Conduct in place; today 22 countries fulfill this commitment. 75 per cent of CEPS member advertising, where permitted by law, will carry RDMs by the end of 2010 at which time the number of responsibility programmes in the EU with spirits industry involvement will have reached 350.
“What has impressed me the most are the achievements of many of our members, particularly in the EU’s newer Member States, who started almost from scratch in 2005,” commented Jamie Fortescue, Director General of CEPS, “For example in 2005 only three CEPS members had established a consumer information website. By the end of 2010, this number will have reached 23. The Roadmap to 2015 is built on this momentum, but also on lessons learnt. Increasing scale, reach, partnership and visibility will be our guiding principles over the next five years.”
