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IARD welcomes The Coca-Cola Company as an associate member

The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) welcomes its first associate member, leading global beverage producer The Coca-Cola Company.

As an associate member, The Coca-Cola Company joins the world’s leading beer, wine, and spirits producers in their ambition to reduce harmful drinking and their commitment to adhere to robust responsibility standards.

IARD CEO and President Henry Ashworth said:
“We are delighted to welcome The Coca-Cola Company as our first associate member. As a beverage industry leader with a small but growing interest in alcoholic beverages, we are pleased that The Coca-Cola Company has placed responsible drinking at the heart of its work in this area and has demonstrated its commitment to tackling harmful drinking.

“We are seeing reductions in underage drinking, binge drinking, and drink driving in many parts of the world but there is still much work to be done. IARD is determined to work with other partners in the private sector, as well as the public sector, civil society, and communities to help accelerate reductions in harmful drinking, as part of a whole-of-society approach.”

The Coca-Cola Company President for Emerging Categories Khalil Younes commented:  
“We are consumer-focused and always looking to offer more choices in beverages. This includes ready-to-drink alcohol products. We recognize that entry into this space brings new responsibilities for us, and ones we take very seriously. We are working with industry partners and other stakeholders to promote moderation and tackle harmful drinking as an important pillar of our work in this category. We are pleased to be joining the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking.”