Portman Group

History

It was set up in 1989 as part of a campaign to raise awareness of alcohol-related issues, and its members account for the majority of alcohol products sold in the UK. It takes its name from the Portman Square, London, head office of Guinness, one of its co-founders.

Drinkaware Trust

The Portman Group established the Drinkaware website in 2004 and went on to establish the Drinkaware Trust in 2006. The Drinkaware Trust is now an independent trust which runs all alcohol education campaigns, that had been previously the responsibility of the Portman Group.

Aims

There are four stated main aims of group:

Code of Practice on the Responsible Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks

The Portman Group operates a Code of Practice on the Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks which was first introduced in 1996. The code, which is supported throughout the industry, seeks to ensure that drinks are marketed in a socially responsible way and to an adult audience only.

The code applies to all pre-packaged alcoholic drinks and covers the drink's naming, packaging, point-of-sale advertising, brand websites, sponsorship, branded merchandise, advertorials, press releases and sampling.

The code has an open and accessible complaints system. Complaints under the Code are ruled on by an independent complaints panel.

Full members

Campaigns

There have been several full campaigns run by the group. These include:

These campaigns have been strongly criticised by, amongst others, Professor Ian Gilmore of Royal College of Physicians and Professor Martin Plant of the University of the West of England, both noted alcohol harm experts, as not only ineffective but even favourable to the alcohol industry.