Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard set the ambition to cultivate a new community of sustainability-minded bartenders

Pernod Ricard, one of the world’s leading wine and spirits groups, aims to support bartenders around the world and equip them not only with knowledge on sustainability, but the specific actions they can take to make a positive difference. Its main objective is to train 10,000 bartenders on sustainable and responsible bar practices by 2030. 

Everyone can make a difference in our global effort to tackle climate change   

Hospitality accounts for 1 in 10 jobs worldwide. With climate change one of the most urgent challenges facing this generation, it’s important to engage every industry to understand the role they can play in slowing climate change and mitigating its impacts. For Pernod Ricard, its global community of bartenders presents a significant opportunity to transform the hospitality industry. Targeted sector specific training which empowers and motivates individuals to act within their sphere of influence is a powerful tool; one that the Sustainable Restaurant Association in this instance were perfectly positioned to deliver.   

Understanding your impacts and how far your responsibility spans  

Pernod Ricard takes a holistic approach to sustainability and responsibility – with targets and action plans to 2030 for each stage of its value chain – from the sourcing of natural ingredients and manufacturing and distribution of its brands, to nurturing long-standing relationships with all the communities that are touched by its operations, including farmers, suppliers, bartenders and consumers. Pernod Ricard recognises its responsibility as a business extends beyond its direct operations and by partnering with the Sustainable Restaurant Association and Trash Collective, has expanded its reach across the hospitality industry and leveraged the expertise of sector experts and academics. This has ensured the programme is impactful and truly relevant to the bartending community, using the SRA’s Food Made Good Framework as the basis for the programme.  

 A more informed and empowered hospitality sector  

As a result of the collaboration, an online course and ‘train the trainer’ programme have been rolled out to nearly 6,400 bartenders across Asia, Europe and the Americas. 

The online course is hosted on EdApp, which in partnership with UNITAR created the ‘Educate All’ initiative to democratise access to free, quality education for adults to support the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The content covers everything from sourcing low impact ingredients to key policies that are required to uphold sustainability governance in relation to people and the planet. 

The next step is to launch a supporting self-assessment tool, which allows bartenders to assess their operations across a holistic sustainability framework. Completing the assessment will allow businesses to understand where they are performing well with regards to sustainable operations and will also generate an action plan with guidance on where additional improvements can be made. 

To raise awareness of the programme, this year Pernod Ricard launched The Bar World of Tomorrow Award with Time Out Magazine as part of its Food and Drink Awards. The award recognises bars around the world that are leading the way on sustainability and responsibility, with events in Paris, Madrid, Barcelona and Hong Kong, among many other cities.