Alcohol industry corporate social responsibility as structural coupling: analysis of CSR communications from Polish alcohol producers

Public health scholars have long criticised alcohol producers’ social-aspects activities, highlighting their role in influencing alcohol policies whilst failing to effectively address alcohol-related harm. This study employs Niklas Luhmann’s concept of structural coupling to examine how alcohol industry Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) functions as an adaptive tool rather than merely a reputation-building exercise. Through analysis of communication between the alcohol industry and its social environment in Poland, it demonstrates how CSR shapes policy debates, reframes social issues, engages communities, and mitigates external regulatory pressures. I argue that CSR operates as a device of structural coupling, enabling the industry to adapt and co-evolve with its contingent environment whilst legitimising and protecting its interests. This theoretical framework moves beyond examining the industry’s ostensible commitment to sustainable development. Instead it focuses on how CSR activities establish, perform, and maintain interrelations with the environment. As these mutual relations stabilise, the industry enhances its capacity to understand and respond to other observing systems. Luhmann’s theory reveals that CSR’s effectiveness stems not from direct pressure, but from carefully orchestrated messages that resonate with the internal logic of other societal domains. By examining CSR through this lens, this study offers insights into the complex interplay between the alcohol industry and its societal context in Poland, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of how CSR functions as a strategic tool for industry adaptation and legitimation, beyond its stated altruistic goals.