IARD; alcohol
The new standards aim to prevent online alcohol sale and delivery to people below legal drinking age. Credit: Vinotecarium / Pixabay.

International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) has launched global standards for the online sale and delivery of alcohol beverages.

The new standards aim to further enhance safeguards for preventing online alcohol sale and delivery to people below legal drinking age or to the intoxicated and in regions where the sale is prohibited by law.

IARD president and CEO Henry Ashworth said: “This is a true world-first initiative in raising standards of responsibility across the board for e-commerce.

“This international partnership has worked together tirelessly to set global standards for the online sale and delivery of alcoholic beverages, taking further concrete steps towards the elimination of alcohol sales to minors.

“IARD is proud to have united the world’s leading drinks producers with leading online retailers and e-commerce platforms and we invite others to join us in this landmark collaboration to raise global standards.”

The new standards outlined in the document include measures to prevent minors from purchasing alcohol, as well as delivering alcoholic beverages to minors and to those showing signs of intoxication.

IARD’s new standard will focus on providing tools, information and education or other support to drivers to empower them to deny delivery.

The new standards also underline the need to enhance consumer information as well as control.

Standards outlined in the IARD document call for promoting global standards as a resource for developing national level codes and practices for the online sale and delivery of alcohol that build on local and national regulation.

Beam Suntory president and CEO and IARD CEO Group chair Albert Baladi said: “This partnership reflects the shared determination of leading alcohol producers, online retailers and e-commerce platforms to combat the harmful use of alcohol in all its forms.

“These global safeguards for alcohol e-commerce cover the entire online purchase journey, starting from the moment a consumer begins the purchase process and travelling all the way through to the moment of delivery, helping ensure these orders don’t reach underage individuals or visibly intoxicated people.”