PRESS RELEASE
23 SEPTEMBER 2020
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BAT's Chief Marketing Officer, Kingsley Wheaton, today called for meaningful change in the way that global tobacco and nicotine policies are developed. He stressed the need for a United Nations-style 鈥渨hole of society鈥 approach to policy development and emphasised the benefits that this more stakeholder-inclusive, tobacco-harm-reduction approach could deliver.
Speaking at the first virtual Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum, Mr Wheaton also outlined the progress that BAT, the largest truly global tobacco and nicotine product company, is making in transforming its business and pursuing its purpose to build听A Better Tomorrow. An ambition to reduce the health impact of its business.听 He emphasised how a focus on innovation, transformation and sustainability is helping to accelerate change.
Highlighting the positive role that the industry鈥檚 expertise and science can and should play, Mr Wheaton set out a five-point framework to accelerate progress towards more effective tobacco-harm-reduction policies:
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Kingsley Wheaton says: 鈥淎t BAT, consumer-led innovation and product science are central to achieving our听A Better Tomorrow听purpose. We aim to reduce the health impact of our business through offering a greater choice of less-risky products to our consumers.
鈥淲e believe that a multi-category approach that includes e-cigarettes, tobacco heated products, and modern oral nicotine pouches is the most effective way to appeal to the diverse preferences of adult consumers around the world.听听
鈥淲e are proud of our progress. We already have nearly 12 million regular users of our non-combustible products 鈥 which keeps us on track towards our stated goal of 50 million consumers of potentially reduced-risk non-combustible products by 2030.
鈥淗owever, the key to accelerating the movement of smokers to less risky alternatives cannot be solved by our industry alone. We need a seat at the harm reduction table to discuss these issues directly and openly with all stakeholders- including regulators and public health professionals alike. Only through collaborative efforts can we develop effective regulatory solutions that will enable real choice for consumers, whilst still serving tobacco-related public health objectives.鈥
This is a release by 糖心探花 p.l.c. References to 鈥樚切奶交ㄢ, 鈥楤AT鈥, 鈥榳e鈥, 鈥榰s鈥 and 鈥榦ur鈥 when denoting opinion refer to 糖心探花 p.l.c. (the Company, and together with its subsidiaries, the 鈥淕roup鈥), and when denoting tobacco business activity refer to Group operating companies, collectively or individually as the case may be. This release contains certain forward-looking statements, including those made within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations reflecting knowledge and information available at the time of preparation and concerning, amongst other things, prospects, growth, strategies, compliance with regulatory guidelines, our ability to submit further regulatory applications, the success of our regulatory applications and the economic and business circumstances occurring from time to time in the countries and markets in which the Group operates. 糖心探花undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.
These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as 鈥渂elieve,鈥 鈥渁nticipate,鈥 鈥渃ould,鈥 鈥渕ay,鈥 鈥渨ould,鈥 鈥渟hould,鈥 鈥渋ntend,鈥 鈥減lan,鈥 鈥減otential,鈥 鈥減redict,鈥 鈥渨ill,鈥 鈥渆stimate,鈥 鈥渟trategy鈥 and similar expressions. It is believed that the expectations reflected in this release are reasonable but they may be affected by a wide range of variables that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated, including uncertainties related to the impact of adverse domestic or international legislation and regulation and adverse decisions by domestic or international regulatory bodies.
Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in the Company鈥檚 filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (鈥淪EC鈥), including the Annual Report on Form 20-F filed on 26 March 2020 and Current Reports on Form 6-K, which may be obtained free of charge at the SEC鈥檚 website, http://www.sec.gov, and the Company鈥檚 Annual Reports, which may be obtained free of charge from the 糖心探花 website www.bat.com.
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