Pernod Ricard renews partnership with Erasmus - Program renowned for effectiveness with students

Of 367,000 students involved in program, 88.8% found it useful. 61% of participants state they changed their consumption during the party.

Pernod Ricard renewed its partnership with Erasmus Student Network (ESN) for the eighth consecutive year. The agreement, signed in Brussels today, aims at implementing an awareness raising program to combat instances of massive alcohol consumption. An independent external evaluation of the Responsible Party prevention program highlights the effectiveness of this initiative and the positive evolution of consumption practices among students. Indeed, 61% of students interviewed confirmed they have changed their alcohol consumption habits. The results from this partnership are consistent with various signs suggesting reduced binge drinking at the European level. 

Already successfully rolled out in 32 countries, this initiative has enabled the organization of more than 580 "responsible soirees" during which member students of the ESN network provide peers with specific advices on responsible drinking and offer them water and prevention tools. Awareness has been already raised among 367,000 European students so that they drink alcohol in a controlled fashion. 

For the second time this year, Pernod Ricard commissioned an independent study on students' consumption behavior. The last study, including an independent scientific assessment of the Responsible Party program, was carried out by a researcher from Louvain-la-Neuve Catholic University. The study's highly educational conclusions suggest a positive evolution in consumption practices among students. After collecting testimonies of more than 30,000 students, two thirds (67.5%) were not considered binge drinkers.

This comprehensive study also allows student consumption habits to be put into context within the Responsible Party prevention program's evaluation results. 88.8% of students interviewed stated the program is useful, and one out of two believed it helps raise awareness. 

Alexandre Ricard, Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard, and Christian Porta, Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard EMEA/LATAM (Europe, Middle East, Africa/Latin America), were present in Brussels today to renew the partnership with ESN before taking part in a debate held by Euractiv with European Commission representatives and ESN President João Pinto. Entitled "Smart prevention works ' encouraging European students to embrace a responsible way of life," the debate will allow the Responsible Party program's evaluation results to be analyzed, and effective prevention policies and strategies among youngsters to be more widely discussed. 

As explained by Alexandre Ricard, 'The partnership we renewed with ESN on the Responsible Party program is crucial for me. First, because it falls within Pernod Ricard's unwavering policy in favor of an increasingly responsible and therefore convivial consumption; and second, because students are largely exposed to the risk of irresponsible consumption. The various signs suggesting a reduction in binge drinking at the European level are a result of effective actions like ours, which associates committed industry players with associations and NGOs around relevant and useful prevention projects.'

According to the latest numbers by ESPAD (European School Survey on Alcohol and other Drugs), which carries out a pan-European analysis of addictive practices in youngsters under 16 (96,046 students interviewed in 35 countries) every four years, students' consumption behavior was lower than that of 2011 in most countries. As far as France is concerned, binge drinking has clearly decreased by 30% since 2011. 

The full final evaluation of the aforementioned study is available HERE

Participate on the Twitter debate via @Pernod_Ricard and @EurActiv 
#EADebates #ResponsibleParty