Diageo – a responsible business - Business In The Community

Diageo – a responsible business

As one of Northern Ireland’s major exporters, Diageo brings iconic Irish brands like Baileys, Guinness, Harp and Smithwicks to consumers around the world.

Background

An employment base of 345 employees enable Diageo to sell products in over 180 countries. Operating across three sites in Northern Ireland which include a global Baileys’ facility at Mallusk, a beer bottling and packaging plant in East Belfast and corporate headquarters in Belfast City Centre, Diageo is a global leader in the beverage alcohol industry.

What Diageo did

Diageo’s Performance Ambition is to create the best performing, most trusted and respected consumer Products Company in the world. To help achieve this ambition, Diageo launched a Sustainability and Responsibility Strategy. Directive for Diageo’s Northern Ireland initiatives comes from the company’s global Sustainability and Responsibility strategy to help ensure the initiatives are strategic, accountable and impactful.

The strategy has three themes embedded into its framework: leadership in alcohol in society, building thriving communities, and reducing environmental impact.

From an Alcohol in Society perspective, Diageo prides itself on leading the way as the founders and now lead funder of the Northern Ireland Drinks Industry Group, a consortium of drinks companies that work together on the Joint Industry Code for the Responsible Promotion and Retail of Alcohol.

The Code outlines the basic standards expected of those involved in the production, promotion, retail and service of alcohol. It looks to promote best practice, to prevent alcohol being irresponsibly promoted or sold, and offers clear and measurable standards. It is an example of how Diageo and the drinks industry, alongside government and the hospitality industry, can work together to promote the safe and responsible consumption of alcohol.

The outcomes and impacts

  • Awards planters_NI Responsible Co without year
  • ‘Smashed’ schools theatre education programme delivered to 2,400 pupils from 18 schools
  • Sports Sense Programme delivered to 172, 18-25 years in sports clubs in NI
  • 80% of all Baileys ingredients and materials sourced locally
  • Bord Bia Origin Green status achieved