It’s time to move on…

Perhaps unlike my predecessors, I sometimes feel that I am working for a technology company, as much as a tobacco company. But despite our passion and commitment to innovate and do the right thing, you can imagine that it’s not pleasant for our employees to hear the old accusations against the industry and the unsubstantiated claims: ‘they hide’, ‘they lie’, ‘they are evil’. Of course, my colleagues know that they work in a controversial industry and are somewhat battle-hardened. Having worked in many other sectors, I can say that our employees are some of the most pragmatic and respectable people I know – passionate about the right of adults to choose and protecting, to the extent they can, many forms of human rights.

I’m calling for an open conversation and a different approach to that of the past, which is no longer relevant or beneficial. I may not change your mind, but let me at least share some thoughts on why I can look at myself in the mirror in the morning, why I believe we have a big job to do – a job that must be done – and why I am also open to listening.

If you’ve read the headlines, you will have seen that the major tobacco companies are moving into products that have the potential to reduce risk, yet each of them have a different way of phrasing their vision for the future. JTI, often seen as a ‘quiet’ company in the industry, also has its own vision and strong sense of purpose. We don’t believe that it is realistic in the foreseeable future for there to be a world without smoking. Does that mean we are part of the problem? No – and let me explain why.

At JTI we believe in choice. We do not believe in dictating to adult consumers whether to smoke or vape, or to quit for that matter. We rather offer them the freedom to make an informed choice from a wide range of products – legal and highly regulated – and to support them in their choice. The reality is that a large majority of consumers around the world continue to choose conventional tobacco products over vaping products and we see both coexisting for the foreseeable future.

Our vision is pragmatic, honest, and is not stopping us in developing products that will potentially reduce health risks. It is the right thing to do. We are investing billions of dollars in this area and are fully committed to providing that choice to millions of adult smokers around the world.

Irrespective of the wording that companies use to talk about themselves, I invite people to question the basic premise that tobacco companies are inherently ‘bad’. Tobacco companies sell products with well-known risks, and indeed they made mistakes in the past. But I encourage people not to make it their obsession that the tobacco industry has not, or cannot change, or that it cannot commercialize alternative products that have the potential to reduce risk. 

Consumer health consciousness has been transformative, and this is a good thing. Has regulation helped shape this change? Absolutely. However, we sometimes have different views than regulators and when we attempt to voice them, our industry is often accused of ‘interfering’ with policy-making. The World Health Organization (WHO) and public health community, for example, are still split on whether vaping (rather than simple abstinence) is a good thing. This is despite the potential to reduce the risks of smoking for millions of smokers, and the results of independent scientific reports, which are promising. The WHO has a special framework designed to protect governments from the ‘vested interests’ of the tobacco industry. I agree that no ‘vested interest’ should dominate, but at the same time people, companies, and the media, that represent all angles in the debate, should have a voice. Tobacco companies can indeed contribute useful factual information that might not be available to other parties in the debate. In good faith, any legal industry should have the opportunity to provide its point of view on issues of strategic importance. 

Can the interests of regulators and businesses be reconciled? I think they can. If not, in our industry, the solution could be to nationalize companies, remove all nicotine – known to be addictive – or make the product outright illegal. But as we all know too well, prohibition simply leads to criminal gangs taking over a legal industry. These are not workable or realistic solutions.

Combining efforts would be powerful. When I think about the energy and passion that exists on all sides, I find it a shame that there is still a vocal ‘quit or die’ following, not constructively talking to our industry, but vilifying it. People often forget that we have to forge workable relationships with governments, not least to help ensure that billions of dollars in tax get properly collected (taxes on a pack of cigarettes can be up to 80 percent of the retail price), and our products are tracked and traced to avoid them getting into criminal hands. As a large company within a controversial industry, we simply cannot afford a mistake, and therefore the pressure is rightly on us to ensure that we abide by all rules and regulations. For many years now, tobacco has operated in an environment with more regulation and scrutiny than most industries, contributing to local economies, and ensuring that consumers know exactly what product they are buying. Having worked for JTI for more than 10 years, I absolutely agree with those who think that we should be recognized for the good things that we do, as opposed to just being blamed for the mistakes of the past. 

Whilst the industry continues to develop and launch new products, governments and industry should be encouraged, and at a minimum talk openly, about the necessary and appropriate reduced-risk product regulation. Yes, the industry must support governments and the health community to test these new products so that they have some certainty that they have the potential to reduce risk. In parallel, adult smokers need to have the information and choice to move into potentially reduced risk products, particularly as new technologies emerge.

I am optimistic about the future, as well as realistic. I want JTI to continue earning its seat at the table, and to keep on doing the right thing, always. I genuinely believe that we are honest with ourselves, and with society. We want those who care to know, that we are driven by a strong sense of purpose, and the way in which we frame our future is open and pragmatic – not based on soundbites. We should all be brave enough to move on.

Eddy Pirard