CSR PORTRAIT N°12: Pernod-Ricard

Can you explain your activity in a few words?

Sustainability & Responsibility (S&R) is one of Pernod Ricard’s  4 key drivers and embedded in our strategic business plan Transform & Accelerate. Our S&R roadmap is based on four key pillars : nurturing terroir, valuing people, circular making and responsible hosting. They seek to address material issues facing the Group and the World, such as climate change, Human Rights, waste and responsible drinking. The S&R strategy is implemented in all 87 affiliates of Pernod Ricard globally, including Vietnam.

Have you already implemented a social or environmental project in your company? Or do you have a sustainable development policy?

As mentioned above, globally we have social and environmental projects and policies based on above 4 key pillars. For example, for Nurturing Terroir, we commit nurturing every terroir and its biodiversity, responding to the challenges of climate change to ensure quality ingredients now and for generations to come.

For Valuing People, the commitment is related to increasing diversity and fairness for all its people and empowering people across its supply chain. By 2022, the Group will ensure equal pay across the business and by 2030, the top management teams will be gender balanced. For Circular making, Pernod Ricard is committed to minimizing waste at every step by imagining, producing and distributing its products in ways that optimize and help preserve natural resources. And for Responsible Hosting, Pernod Ricard is committed to fighting alcohol misuse in society by taking action on harmful drinking and engaging with its stakeholders for real change.

Based on 4 key pillars, we also have internal guidelines and online/ offline training courses which are delivered to staff and all stakeholders (our customers, wholesalers, partners and suppliers). They are mandatory for all Pernod Ricard staff and relevant stakeholders to learn about our policies and commit to compliance with our commitments and policies.

In Vietnam, for many years PRVN has implemented different S&R project internally and externally. Every year, the Group is committed to have a ResponsibleAll Day, where all 19,000 employees use one full working day to participate in social responsible activities, such as tree planting, rubbish collecting or water treatment.

As the Co-Chair of Vietnam Association for Responsible Drinking, PRVN leads W&S industry in Vietnam in doing social responsible projects with various Government and non-Government partners.  In 2019, we have cooperation with the People’s Police Academy to provide training for traffic police from 6 selected provinces to improve the effectiveness of drink driving enforcement, training relating community communication skills on drink-driving harms for 120 final year students. We worked with Vietnam Woman’s Union to launch hundreds of club themed “Women speak up for responsible drinking”. We also had partnership with Vietnam Traffic Safety Association and Directorate of Road for drink-drive projects and worked with Ministry of Education & Training to improve pupils' awareness on prevention of harmful effects of alcohol abuse in adolescents.

For the battle against COVID-19, PRVN donated nearly US$100,000 for different meaningful activities. We has joined together in partnership with Manchester United Supporters Club in Vietnam (MUSVN) to help support the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention Fund’ for healthcare workers in Vietnam. The donation, in the name of Chivas, was awarded by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Father land Front on 4 April. Additionally, Pernod Ricard Vietnam, under Blue Venture Award (BVA) in partnership with Shark Tank and Dan Tri Media achieved a total of VND 5 billion to support providing 20,000 protection suits for doctors, medical staff and healthcare workers in Vietnam, in which PRVN contributed VND500 million. Another donation was given to Hanoi Department of Health, as the capital of Vietnam is having the highest number of positive cases to Covd-19 and some biggest hospitals are under quarantine because their staff/patients were found positive. 10,000 professional masks (N95) were delivered to medical staff and healthcare workers of Hanoi, with the total value of VND600 million.

What type of advice would you give to other companies in Vietnam to launch such CSR project?

We believe that all companies should consider CSR as a part of their core business should be built on social care and responsibility. That not only enhances our sustainable development but also positively responds to increasing demand from customers and consumers nowadays. Our commitment to sustainable development should be longstanding and embedded within our business.

To make it happens, we need strategic and practical plan with mensurable goals and elaborate schedule. Furthermore, we cannot do it alone. Pernod Ricard has a slogan “United to win”, if we want to go fast, we go alone, if we want to go far, we go together. Our company always engages employees to join in and support company’s CSR activities. Each of our employee is an ambassador of our CSR plan. It not only makes them feel engage and be proud of their own company and meaningful works they have done, but also helps spreading our message to stakeholders and communities.