Say ‘No’ To Underage Drinking: Global Beer Responsible Day

On September 17, the world celebrates the annual Global Beer Responsible Day (GBRD). The goal of the GBRD initiative is to develop the culture of beer consumption, promote responsible drinking with a special focus on minors. Irresponsible beer consumption can become a problem. The GBRD initiative and responsible business aim at preventing alcohol consumption by children and teens. 

As a responsible producer, Carlsberg Ukraine strives to avoid cases of irresponsible drinking. That is why it provides consumers with an alternative – AFB as well as information support for responsible alcohol consumption. Along with the partners and industry business associations, Carlsberg Ukraine promotes a culture of beer consumption in Ukraine.

Participation in the GBRD is part of this awareness-raising campaign. 

Carlsberg Ukraine joins the international movement for the sixth year in a row. In 2021, the company together with an industry partner launched a media project on the Anatolii Anatolich’s YouTube channel “THE INTERVIEWER” focusing on the formation of the responsible attitude to alcohol among adolescents. The musician Serhii Babkin, restaurateur Dmytro Borisov, actor Oleksandr Pikalov and their sons took part in the interview. Through their personal stories, the participants convey the main idea of the project – alcohol under the age of 18 – it’s not about the leisure, it’s about the irresponsible risk (watch the project here).

“Many factors contribute to the attitude to alcohol, in particular beer. Those are primarily the family, family habits, parenting methods and the quality of communication between parents and children. Our goal is to show how an open dialogue with a child can prevent the unexpected surprises of a teen’s busy life. This project is neither about mentoring nor lecturing teens by an adult. Our project is about openness, trust and importance of the well-timed dialogue,” said about the purpose of the project Yuliia Stelmakh, Senior GR and Corporate Affairs Director, Carlsberg Ukraine.

In this way, the company promotes the value of family communication, against which the responsible attitude to alcohol is developed. In addition to the interviews, the company also used other communication channels within GBRD 2021 – the awareness-raising campaign on social networks (how to talk to children about alcohol, how to develop a healthy attitude to alcohol etc.), cooperation with retail (107 Kolo stores, where the video on responsible consumption was broadcasted), outdoor public service announcements (billboards were placed in the cities of Ukraine encouraging saying “NO!” to underage drinking). As a result, Carlsberg Ukraine has reached more than 730,000 citizens across the country.

“Carlsberg Ukraine has its sustainability programme, Together Towards ZERO. One of the ambitions of the programme (apart from ZERO carbon footprint, ZERO water waste and ZERO accidents culture) is ZERO irresponsible drinking.

We realize this ambition not only during GBRD. Yes, this is one of the days when the whole world is especially focused on a reasonable attitude to alcohol. But if we want to live in a responsible society, we must act consistently and regularly. Actually, this is what Carlsberg Ukraine is doing. We see our responsibility in providing consumers with an alternative – AFB. That is why we are constantly expanding its range, as well as trying to influence the promotion of responsible beer consumption culture. Not only we, but the entire industry is working on this, spreading the idea of enjoying the quality, not the quantity,” says Yevhen Shevchenko, CEO of Carlsberg Ukraine.

The goal of Carlsberg Ukraine is a society of responsible alcohol consumption without drink-driving and underage sells. We are for moderate consumption and positive impressions. 

To achieve these goals, we work with governments, customers and industry partners. This is not a one-time project. This is what lies at the heart of Carlsberg Ukraine’s sustainable development programme. The company’s employees and top management believe that raising awareness, communication with consumers and providing them with an alcohol-free alternative can change people’s thinking and develop a culture of responsible consumption we need and strive for. The result can be assessed now – the market share of AFB is growing every year. Carlsberg Ukraine has already expanded its portfolio of AFB brands by 4% and continues to work on new proposals. The company ensures the availability of AFBs at its points of sale, 100% of packaging carries messages about beer consumption, the company continuously supports the declared ambitions with regular awareness-raising campaigns.