JTI
JTI Makes Progress Toward Tobacco Sustainability The right choices contribute to sustainability, reduced environmental footprint and contribution to the community. From Staff Reports record of over 2.7 billion illegal cigarettes was seized thanks to information provided by JTI in 2018, a report from its parent company—Japan Tobacco—said in May. That was one of three main achievements that the report pointed to. The other two are that more than 30 percent of the electricity in JTI factories originated from renewable sources in 2018, and Human Rights Impact Assessments were completed by the company in five high-risk countries. “We ta ke the responsibilit y to manage our business sustainabili-
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ty very seriously, and I am proud of the progress we are making globally,” says Suzanne Wise, JTI’s Senior Vice President Corporate Development. “We constantly challenge ourselves to make the right choices for our business’ long-term sustainability, to actively reduce our environmental footprint and positively contribute to the communities we are a part of.” The Price of Contraband Illegal trade is a growing problem, for these reasons, among many others: • It cheats legitimate tobacco companies and their brands,
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It cheats consumers who don’t know what they’re buying • It cheats governments who lose tax revenues. • It threatens wider society as organized crime networks involved in illegal tobacco trade are often also involved in human trafficking and terrorism. Tackling illegal trade is a key component of JTI’s approach to sustainability, and in 2018 the company provided 1,328 reports to law enforcement agencies, leading to the seizure of more than 2.7 billion illegal cigarettes and the raid of 39 counterfeit factories. At JTI’s factories around the world, the focus has been directed at minimizing the Company’s environmental impact. Following concerted efforts and investments, by the end of 2018, 31 percent of electricity was either purchased or generated from renewable sources. One example is the Philippines, where the largest self-consumption rooftop solar system in South-East
