Sarah Lewis, Diageo GB

Promoting responsible drinking should be a key consideration for any outlet licensed to sell alcohol. Contrary to popular belief, educating customers about the need to drink responsibly does not necessarily mean a drop or a lack of growth in sales.

Responsible-drinking promotion has as many benefits for licensees as for customers, by aiming for a safer, more enjoyable drinking experience.

Diageo has an internal guide, the Diageo Marketing Code (DMC), developed to drive the responsible marketing and sale of alcohol across the industry, which is used daily by Diageo and many of its business and industry partners.

The DMC offers helpful guidelines to licensees wishing to promote responsible drinking to customers and initiate positive drinking behaviour, without limiting business opportunities.

It advises small, impactful changes to the sales and marketing process, covering initiatives from acceptable cocktail names and promotion of the Drinkaware website, to marketing and signage.

It helps deal with criticisms levied at the alcohol industry for irresponsible drinks promotions targeting younger drinkers or encouraging excessive alcohol consumption.

The Challenge 21 scheme has been successful at reducing the number of underage drinkers with access to alcohol, and the Government's initiatives to educate on alcohol-unit content are proving successful in highlighting a need for individual responsibility.