Moët Hennessy joined the Portman Group as its 20th full member

Moët Hennessy has joined the Portman Group, becoming the 20th full member of the U.K. alcohol industry’s self-regulatory body at a time when the organization is marking 30 years of its Code of Practice.

The announcement was made Wednesday in a statement from the Portman Group, which said the addition brings its membership to the largest level in its history. The move adds one of the best-known wine and spirits companies in the world to a trade-backed body that oversees standards for the naming, packaging and promotion of alcoholic drinks in Britain.

The Portman Group said the new membership matters as the industry faces continued scrutiny over how alcohol is marketed and sold. The organization argues that broad participation by major producers helps show that companies are willing to support responsible marketing without direct government intervention.

Matt Lambert, the Portman Group’s chief executive, said in the statement that Moët Hennessy’s experience would help guide the organization in the coming years. He said the group’s growth shows that self-regulation remains an important part of the responsibility framework for alcohol producers in the U.K. and that consumer protection and responsible promotion must remain central to the sector.

Julie Nollet, managing director of Moët Hennessy UKI, said the company joined because maintaining trust with consumers, policymakers and society is essential to its long-term business. She said strong and credible self-regulation is necessary so that innovation, creativity and responsibility can develop together.

Moët Hennessy is the wines and spirits division of LVMH. Its portfolio includes 25 maisons and some of the most recognized names in Champagne, cognac and luxury wines and spirits. The company said its broader environmental and social strategy is organized under a program called “Living Soils Living Together.”

The Portman Group was formed in 1989 and describes itself as both an alcohol industry regulator and a social responsibility body. It says it has more than 170 signatories to its code, including producers, retailers and trade bodies. The organization is funded by 23 member and associate member companies, among them Diageo GB, Heineken UK, Pernod Ricard UK, Treasury Wine Estates and now Moët Hennessy.

Its Code of Practice for the Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks was first published in 1996. According to the group, the code is intended to ensure alcohol is marketed in a socially responsible way, aimed only at people age 18 and older, and not designed to appeal particularly to vulnerable groups. The Portman Group says more than 200 products have been changed or removed from the market under the code over three decades, while many more were adjusted before launch through its advisory service.

The organization also says it has updated the code six times over 30 years to reflect changes in public attitudes and to widen its scope. Supporters of the model say this allows the industry to respond faster than formal legislation and without drawing on public funds. Critics of self-regulation in alcohol policy have long argued that industry-funded systems can face limits when commercial interests conflict with public health goals, though that debate was not addressed in Wednesday’s announcement.

For Moët Hennessy, joining the Portman Group strengthens its formal role in one of Europe’s most established alcohol self-regulatory systems. For the Portman Group, adding a global luxury drinks company during an anniversary year gives added weight to its argument that voluntary standards still have backing from major players across beer, cider, spirits and wine.