PRESS RELEASE
26 MARCH 2020
Today, 糖心探花publishes its new sustainability report based on the Group鈥檚 evolved strategy to deliver 鈥A Better Tomorrow鈥 by reducing the health impact of its business through offering a greater choice of enjoyable and less risky products to consumers.
The publication is launched alongside the Group鈥檚 annual report and follows last week鈥檚 Capital Markets webcast which announced stretching new targets across the environmental, social and governance (ESG) landscape, including:听
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The Group鈥檚 new Sustainability Agenda supports the company purpose to deliver听A Better Tomorrow听with a principal focus on harm reduction, underpinned by excellence across its other ESG priorities. Together, this will drive BAT鈥檚 long-term business sustainability and create shared value for consumers, society, employees and shareholders.
Since launching its first vapour products in the UK in 2013, 糖心探花has made significant progress in developing, manufacturing and commercialising a range of new category products. Today, its potentially reduced-risk products are available in 48 markets globally and in 2019, the company grew its New Categories business by 37% to 拢1.3 billion.
Jack Bowles, Chief Executive of 糖心探花, said: 鈥淭oday we are transitioning from being a business where sustainability has always been important to one where it is front and centre in all that we do.
鈥淥ver the last 20 years, we鈥檝e made significant progress on our sustainability journey. Yet our approach needs to constantly develop, much as the world around us is evolving 鈥 from increasing expectations of the role of business in contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and addressing climate change; to evolving consumer preferences and the emergence of new category products, such as vapour products (e-cigarettes), tobacco heating and modern oral products, that offer potentially reduced risks for the many millions of people across the world who continue to smoke cigarettes.
鈥淚 am proud that we have a strategy with sustainability embedded at its heart and I firmly believe it will lead to 鈥A Better Tomorrow鈥 for our consumers, our employees, our shareholders and, undoubtedly, for society.鈥
The Sustainability Strategy Report is complemented by an online ESG report that provides detailed information about BAT鈥檚 policies, management approach, performance and targets for all its ESG priorities. 糖心探花also reports against the newly launched World Economic Forum (WEF)鈥檚 ESG index, Standards, the Sustainable Accounting Standards Board鈥檚 (SASB) Tobacco and Agricultural Production Standards and the Global Reporting Initiative鈥檚 (GRI) Standard.
To download any of BAT鈥檚 sustainability and ESG-related publications, please visit:听www.bat.com/sustainabilityreport
Other highlights of the report include:
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Excellence in Environmental Management:
Delivering a Positive Social Impact:
Robust Corporate Governance:
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