BAT Opens Innovation Hub in Italy
Image: BAT
BAT opened a new innovation hub in Trieste, Italy. The innovation hub cost €500 million ($548 million) over five years.
The Hub incorporates laboratories, production offices, technical rooms and 12 production lines for new category products, making BAT the first company in the tobacco industry to distribute a full range of new category products in Italy.
The site also contains a digital boutique and innovation lab, focusing on digital transformation, sustainability and open innovation through external collaborations and partnerships.
The new complex was completed in 21 months and has been designed according to the most advanced sustainability criteria. It uses 100 percent energy from renewable sources and aims to achieve carbon neutrality certification by the beginning of 2024.
A photovoltaic array and biomass plant will produce much of the complex’s energy needs, with the remaining energy purchased from certified sustainable providers.
It is estimated that the innovation hub will create 2,700 future jobs—600 jobs directly and a further 2,100 jobs in the local and national economy and supply chain. BAT Italy already works with around 400 companies in its agricultural supply chain, employing more than 6,000 people.
“The completion of the Trieste innovation hub marks a milestone in BAT’s global strategy for innovation and sustainability. I am proud that BAT is the first company in the industry to distribute its full range of new category products. The hub represents a significant contribution to the country’s employment and economic growth,” said Fabio de Petris, CEO of BAT Italy.