The Drinks Association’s Corporate Responsibility Award

THE DRINKS ASSOCIATION CELEBRATES CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

An increased focus on social responsibility in the drinks industry lead The Drinks Association to add a Contribution to Industry category to the Australian Drinks Awards in 2018.

The Corporate Social Responsibility Award acknowledges the work drinks companies are doing to promote positive social and environmental change.

Pernod Ricard Winemakers won the inaugural Corporate Responsibility Award for its Responsib’All Day initiative, which was created to find ways to get all employees, from directors to line workers, personally engaged in day-to-day corporate sustainability efforts, integrate sustainability into everyone’s job.

In 2018, this included Pernod Ricard’s Sydney employees supporting the restoration of Cattai National Park in the Hawkesbury region, alongside charity partner Conservation Volunteers Australia. More than 200 Sydney team members took part in a range of activities, including planting trees, removing waste and weeds, as well as learning about the history of the site.

Endeavour Drinks Group sponsored the Corporate Social Responsibility Award. Michael Jackson, Director - Merchandising, Marketing & Customer Insights, noted: “It was a pleasure to sponsor and present the first CSR award at the Australian Drinks Awards. The award is a reflection of how all our businesses are changing and how important CSR is now to our curious customer. I look forward to seeing the industry evolve in this space over the coming years.”

The Drinks Association received an impressive number of submissions for the new category and the high calibre of entries made choosing the winner a daunting task.

“I was honoured to be one of the judges in the CSR category,” said Michelle Phipps. “The applicants demonstrated a passion for Corporate Giving that transcends business goals and staff engagement to being more meaningful and sustainable to the broader community. The calibre of entries was impressive and showed that smaller initiatives are as impactful as larger ones.

“Recognising best practice in Corporate Social Responsibility was a rigorous process, with a scoring system that was evidence based and transparent to applicants and judges. This is an important award and I’m proud to be part of the first of its kind from The Drinks Association.”

The Drinks Association CEO Georgia Lennon agreed that even small acts have a big impact.

“This is a growing industry full of conscientious companies who want to make a difference to the world of alcoholic beverages as well as sustainability,” Lennon noted. “This award highlights the achievements of those companies who are doing great things in this respect.”

Judging has commenced for the 2019 Contribution to Industry category, with the winners announced at the Australian Drinks Awards on August 22.