Jan 29, 2021|

JD.com Becomes IARD’s First China Partner

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by Ella Kidron

JD.com announced that it has joined forces with the International Alliance of Responsible Drinking (IARD). As part of a global coalition, JD will join the 12 leading global beer, wine and spirits companies that form IARD, and 12 prominent global and regional online retailers, platforms and delivery platforms who operate across six continents, in promoting the responsible sale and delivery of alcohol online.

The members of IARD, as they appear in IARD’s official press release

The members of IARD, as they appear in IARD’s official press release

Specifically, the partnership will involve the development of global standards that 1) enhance safeguards and security measures so minors are unable to buy alcohol online; 2) put in place mechanisms to prevent the delivery of beer, wine and spirits to minors or individuals showing visible signs of intoxication; and 3) promote global standards as a resource to support the development of national in-country codes and practices for the online sale and delivery of alcohol.

JD, a leading retail and e-commerce leader in beer, wine and spirits in China, with over 440 million active customers across the JD.com platform, has already taken steps to promote responsible consumption of alcohol, such as providing clear guidance for safe consumption in the product descriptions on its e-commerce platform. JD will continue to strengthen its efforts in this area.

“This partnership furthers our long-term commitment to consumer safety and responsible consumption,” said Mr. Yan Liu, Head of JD Super Import Spirits. “In addition to ensuring product quality, we want to guarantee that consumers have an enjoyable and informed experience when shopping on our platform. We look forward to furthering this effort with IARD and its members.”

“This partnership marks a ground-breaking coalition to develop global standards for the online sale and delivery of alcohol,” said Henry Ashworth, IARD President and CEO. IARD is proud to be uniting the world’s leading drinks producers with leading online retailers, and e-commerce platforms in raising global standards of responsibility. In coming together, we believe the partnership can facilitate greater change across our wider sectors. We are pleased to welcome JD.com as our first partner in our efforts in the China region, and look forward to working together with them to enhance customer experience and safeguards.”

JD’s partnership with IARD follows the company’s announcement in November of a multi-pronged partnership with Diageo, the world’s largest international alcohol producer.

Mark Edwards, Managing Director of Diageo China, said: “Our brands are made to be enjoyed responsibly. We are therefore very proud of our partnership with JD.com and our joint commitment to provide more information to consumers that will encourage those that choose to consume alcohol to do so in moderation. Our goal is for consumers in China to drink better, not more – and through initiatives such as DRINKiQ with JD.com we believe we can better promote moderation and address harmful use of alcohol.”

As part of its work with IARD and overall commitment to responsible drinking, JD will work with Diageo and other industry partners in China to advance the development of a national code of conduct for responsible sales of alcohol under the principle of self-governance.

About IARD

The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to addressing harmful drinking worldwide and promoting responsible drinking, amongst those who choose to drink. IARD is supported by its member companies from all sectors of the regulated alcohol industry – beer, wine, and spirits – in their common purpose of being part of the solution to reducing the harmful use of alcohol. For more information on our membership and what we do, please visit http://www.iard.org.

 

 

(ella@jd.com)

 

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