Alcohol contributes to a variety of economic and health problems that can put individuals at risk
There is a great deal of debate as to why socially
responsible investment screens against companies that
have significant involvement in the manufacture, distribution
and sale of alcoholic beverages. After all, what’s
wrong the occasional glass of wine? Why,
there’s scientific evidence that a glass or two
of red wine can be good for your heart! While this may
be true, it is also true that alcohol contributes to
a variety of economic and health problems that can put
individuals at risk- and the there are other ways to
strengthen your cardiovascular system.
If a restaurant or retailer generates 20 percent or
more of its revenues from alcohol sales or distribution,
social investment considers it a problem. The negative
impacts are obvious…heavy drinking and addiction
can lead to accidents, domestic violence, and a variety
of health and social problems. Alcohol consumption has
increased in recent years, and is highest in Europe
and North America. The World Health Organization has
found causal relationships between alcohol consumption
and more than 60 types of disease and injury.
The marketing of alcoholic beverages is pervasive.
Recently, I visited a surf shop to purchase a pair of
board shorts ( a long baggy bathing suit- the kind that
surfer’s wear ). It’s a more responsible
expression of mid-life crisis than a sports car. That
aside, I found something interesting in the pocket of
almost every pair of board shorts I tried on..... a
bottle opener. Not only in the pocket, but
attached to the shorts. It
seems that the surfer generation has no other option
but to drink.
The massive marketing effort has a message
for us. We’re cooler, sexier, and more desirable
when we drink. We’re not that interesting when
we’re sober.
Determining which companies do the most damage is a
tough job. When analysts review company profiles,
they use a variety of resources, including industry
trade publications, consumer organizations and consumer
watchdog groups, as well as the World Health Organization.
Analysts also refer to reports by various scientific
and regulatory bodies to determine the current thinking
on risks and the social investment industry response
to these risks. Companies fail criteria for alcohol
because they either manufacture alcoholic products,
or have annual revenues of 20% or more from the sale
or distribution of alcohol.
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