Corporate Social Responsibility: The Portman Group and the new Drinkaware Trust

At the time of writing, there has been an significant positive development on this front. The Drinkaware Trust, an independent charitable trust aimed at promoting sensible drinking, and funded by the Alcohol industry has been jointly launched by the Government, Alcohol Industry and other stakeholders, and due to be functioning within the near future. This new initiative will change the structure and remit of the Portman Group, and will hopefully provide new opportunities for objective and unbiased research to be conducted.

For more information please see our latest edition of Alcohol Alert:
www.ias.org.uk/resources/publications/alcoholalert/alert200602/al200602_p8.html

The Drinkaware Trust
www.drinkawaretrust.org.uk/

The new Drinkaware Trust website has been launched.

The Portman Group
www.portmangroup.org.uk
The Portman Group was set up in 1989 by the UK's leading drinks producers, which together supply the majority of the alcohol sold in the UK.

The Portman outline their purpouses as follows:

to promote responsible drinking;
to help prevent misuse of alcohol;
to encourage responsible marketing; and
to foster a balanced understanding of alcohol-related issues.

Research & Publications
Marsh, P & Kibby, K.F (1992) Drinking and Public Disorder: A Research Report Conducted for the Portman Group by MCM Research, London: The Portman Group.

Marsh, P; Bradley, S; Peck, F, Carnibella, A (2001) Counting the Cost: The measurement and recording of alcohol-related Violence and Disorder,
A report of research commissioned by the Portman Group
www.sirc.org/publik/alcohol_related_violence_TOC.shtml

An excellent critique of this report can be found here:
Hadfield, P (2003) “Review Article: Counting the Cost The Measurement and Recording of Alcohol related Violence and Disorder”, by Marsh, P et al, London: The Portman Group, British Journal of Criminology, 43 (2) 449-51

The Portman Group also publish the Quarterly Review of Alcohol Research
www.portmangroup.org.uk/publications/222.asp

Drinkaware
www.drinkaware.co.uk/

In response to the objectives set out in the National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy, the Portman Group developed Drinkaware (which represented the charitable arm of the Portman Group) in November 2004. Producers and retailers were encouraged to promote and advertise the website. The site was designed to be user friendly, and include information on ‘responsible drinking’.