In the spirit of giving back

Fishkills, the presence of piggeries and huge real estate developments have contributed to the deteriorating water quality of Taal Lake.

Pernod Ricard, one of the world’s leading wines and spirits companies, will conduct its eighth Responsib’ALL Day this June in Taal, Batangas.

The activity, which will be attended by all of its employees, aims to clean up the shoreline of the towns of Balete and Mataas na Kahoy.

They will also donate Aqua Culture Kits to Taal Lake fisherfolk to help them assess water conditions for fish growth and water viability.

Water is a key ingredient in all of Pernod Ricard’s products and is the inspiration for the group to organize the cleanup. Done in cooperation with the local government of Taal; Taal Lake Conservation Center, or Pusod Inc.; Bato Balani Foundation; and France-Philippines United Action, the coastal cleanup hopes to arrest the degradation of Taal Lake and contribute to its conservation.

To ensure an exhaustive coastal cleanup, Pernod Ricard will use motorboats and nonmotorized boats during the activity.

Teams in motorized boats will catch floating debris with nets while teams in nonmotorized boats will scour the shallow waters and coastline.

The 24,000-hectare Taal Lake Basin is famous for its charm and aquatic animals, the Hydrophis semperi, a freshwater sea snake, and the Sardinella tawilis, a freshwater sardine, both of which are the basis of local commercial fishing.

However, due to several fishkills, or the mass death of fish, presence of nearby piggeries and huge real estate developments, as well as the increasing population around the lake, the water quality of Taal Lake has been deteriorating.

It is hoped that efforts like Responsib’ALL Day will inspire better environmental practices among locals, leading to the improvement of the lake’s water quality.

Responsib’ALL Day is an annual event held simultaneously across 85 Pernod Ricard global affiliates, covering 100 international community projects, and participated in by 18,500 employees worldwide bringing “good times from a good place.” It is Pernod Ricard’s unified approach to convey its commitment and contribution to society.

In this latest edition of Responsib’ALL Day, the wines and spirits group will address the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As water and biodiversity are key to Pernod Ricard’s business, the group will focus on SDG 15 “Life on land” and SDG 6 “Clean water and sanitation.”

Pernod Ricard believes companies have a responsibility and must be leaders in environmental protection.

As such, Pernod Ricard signed a partnership with Impact 2030 to bring together actors from the private sector, civil society and academia to encourage company employees to help achieve the selected SDGs.

Alexandre Ricard, the group’s chair and CEO, said “there can be no conviviality without responsibility, and being créateurs de convivialité means above all considering that sustainable value can only truly exist when it is created for the benefit of all. I am proud of all Pernod Ricard employees who act as passionate hosts and respectful guests during their daily business.”

The group’s 100 Responsib’ALL Day sustainability projects are wide and varied across the world.

In Paris and the Cognac region of France, compost bins and insect houses will be built to increase biodiversity.

In California, volunteers will maintain a network of sustainable trails throughout the Sonoma County.

In Portugal, employees will reforest areas affected by October 2017 wildfires.

In addition to the 100 projects, the group is working with Trash Tiki, a unique cocktail bartending duo who creates cocktail recipes made from food scraps from bars and restaurants.

Using their recipes, all affiliates in 85 countries are enjoined to collaborate with local bars to get their unused ingredients and launch an “antiwaste” Responsib’ALL Day cocktail party to cap off the group’s global initiative.

Pernod Ricard holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios in the sector: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo and Kenwood wines.

The Pernod Ricard group employs approximately 18,500 people.