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Category: Around the Industry

  • JT Again Recognized for Corporate Sustainability

    JT Again Recognized for Corporate Sustainability

    For the sixth year in a row, Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) has been recognized for its leadership in corporate sustainability by the global environmental non-profit organization CDP. With nearly 25,000 companies participating in the 2024 environmental disclosure program, JT was one of the select few to make the “A list,” based on the way it approached climate change.

    As part of its materiality and sustainability core, JT says it believes that as nature, society, and people’s lives are intertwined, sustaining our ways of living and the activities of corporate entities will depend on the sustainability of the environment and societies in which we live. “On this basis, we have looked at our past environmental initiatives. We did so from the perspective of the ecosystem, considering the aspect of biodiversity as well as the impact that our business may have on the ecosystem.”

    “We are honored that the JT Group has been recognized on CDP’s A List for the sixth consecutive year,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Hisato Imokawa. “This inclusion reflects our ongoing efforts to preserve ecosystems and enhance our transparency in sharing information. To fulfill the JT Group purpose of “Fulfilling Moments, Enriching Life,” we will continue to pursue our vision of sustainability and maintain the trust of our stakeholders by enhancing our efforts that are distinctive of the JT Group in collaboration with our suppliers.”

    CDP is a global non-profit that “runs the world’s only independent environmental disclosure system for companies, capital markets, cities, states, and regions to manage their environmental impacts.”

  • Kutsaga Celebrates 75 Years, Looks to Expand in Zimbabwe

    Kutsaga Celebrates 75 Years, Looks to Expand in Zimbabwe

    As Kutsaga Research celebrated its 75th anniversary by hosting a tobacco seed and variety field day in Zimbabwe, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary  Obert Jiri said the organization needs to continue its good work and spread to the southern part of the nation (regions four and five).

    “The tobacco value chain is currently positively impacting the lives of over 120,000 smallholder farmers; however, these are predominantly in the northern and middle parts of the country,” Jiri said. “Kutsaga should learn from the challenges and success of the Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan that ends this year to spearhead the development of climate-smart drought adaptive varieties, research into eco-friendly tobacco curing fuels such as liquid petroleum gas, biogas, and solar energy.”

    The country is recovering from the devastating effect of last year’s El Nino-induced drought that cut production, but this year hopes to match 2023’s record-high 296 million kilograms produced.

    Kutsaga board chair Aaron Denenga said the company was committed to transforming into a self-sustaining agricultural research hub over the next 25 years, leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, 3D printing, genetic engineering, and quantum computing.

  • Troutman Pepper Locke Officially Launches

    Troutman Pepper Locke Officially Launches

    Troutman Pepper and Locke Lord have merged to form Troutman Pepper Locke LLP, a law firm with more than 1,600 attorneys across 33 offices in the United States and Europe.

    “This merger is a strategic leap forward, allowing us to offer an even broader and deeper suite of services to help clients solve complex legal challenges,” said Tom Cole, chair of Troutman Pepper Locke. “The increased scale strengthens our ability to handle matters across an expanded geographic footprint and underscores our continued commitment to client service, efficiency, and innovation.”

    The new firm is led by Cole, with David Taylor and Ashley Taylor serving as vice chairs. Amie Colby serves as managing partner.

    “We are thrilled about the opportunities this match brings,” David Taylor said. “Our firms have the same sweet spot — the middle market. And together, we are doubling down on our commitment to high performance, collaboration, and excellence.”

    “Law firm mergers are certainly on the rise, but ours is about strategic growth to create more value for our clients,” said Ashley Taylor. “This value will flow from our combined strength in key industries, regions, and practices.”

    The combined firm boasts offices in 18 U.S. states, as well as the U.K. Troutman Pepper Locke offers more than 600 lawyers in the Northeast, with a significant presence in Boston, Philadelphia, and the New York metro area. In the South, the firm’s bench is particularly deep, with nearly 700 lawyers in locations including Texas, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia. The combination has strengthened resources in California and the Midwest, including Chicago.

  • Relx WeCreate Gets Approval in Philippines

    Relx WeCreate Gets Approval in Philippines

    Relx announced that its new WeCreate closed pod system gained approval to carry the Philippine Product Standard Mark. RELX says the WeCreate is a breakthrough in customizable vaping technology, blending precision design with advanced features. It has an 800mAh battery that can provide between seven and 15 days of usage on a single charge, a USB Type-C charging port, an adjustable airflow system, and a smart display that “provides real-time information on battery status and other essential details, ensuring users remain informed and in control.”

    The RELX WeCreate offers 14 distinctive pod flavors, each designed to complement the device’s advanced technology.

  • Habanos Presents 2024 Upmann Magnum Finite LE

    Habanos Presents 2024 Upmann Magnum Finite LE

    The launch of the H. Upmann Magnum Finite Limited Edition 2024 vitola took place in one of the most iconic locations in the Spanish capital—the arches and inner gates of the Las Ventas bullring, a space filled with charm, history and culture.

    Habanos S.A., the distribution arm of Cuban cigars, together with its partner and exclusive distributor for the Spanish market, Tabacalera S.L.U., presented the new vitola at the event organized by the Club Pasion Habanos under the name El ruedo de H. Upmann.

    “The H. Upmann Magnum Finite Limited Edition 2024 (53 ring gauge x 130 mm length) stands out not only for its elegance but also for its exclusivity. It is a vitola designed for aficionados seeking a unique and sophisticated experience, combining the heritage and brand’s tradition, its refined Habanos, with a light to medium strength, and the characteristic aging of at least two years for limited editions,” a Habanos release states. “H. Upmann Magnum Finite is the result of a meticulous crafting process, using wrapper, filler and binder leaves from the Vuelta Abajo plantations, where the world’s best tobacco is produced, in Pinar del Rio region, Cuba.”

    Magnum Finite comes in an exclusive box of 25 units. The flavor is creamy, woody, toasted and earthy with vegetal and mineral hints, ripe fruit, sweetness and light spices, leaving a finish of hay, smoked cedar, damp earth, moss, iodine hints, dried plum, vanilla, nutmeg and molasses.

    Its aroma is tobacco, woody, toasted, herbal, ripe fruit, spicy and sweet, smoked cedar, leather, raisin, coffee, cocoa, clove, vanilla and molasses.

  • French Vape Organization SOVAPE to Shutter Doors

    French Vape Organization SOVAPE to Shutter Doors

    French consumer vaping organization SOVAPE announced this week it will dissolve. The group has been active since 2016.

    Best known for organizing three Vape Summits in France between 2016 and 2019, SOVAPE also co-founded the European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (ETHRA) umbrella organization. Since 2019, the group has commissioned annual surveys of French public opinion on vaping and nicotine conducted by major market research firm BVA.

    However, this year BVA notified SOVAPE that it could no longer participate due to a health industry client’s contract prohibiting BVA from also working with nicotine-associated organizations, according to media reports.  

    The abrupt cancellation of the survey followed other recent blows, including news articles accusing SOVAPE and other consumer groups of connections to the tobacco industry, and attacks on scientists and health professionals who supported SOVAPE’s mission.

    In an Oct. 6 website post, SOVAPE explained it can no longer carry out its mission due to the current climate of “censorship, threats, lies, denigration and slander, to which can be added the dissemination of fake news and the denial of scientific data.”

    “Dialogue in this context is impossible,” SOVAPE wrote, “and clearly, it is now even ‘forbidden’ to provide information, such as a banal survey, on reducing the risks of smoking in France.”

    SOVAPE will donate the balance of its funds equally to the Pasteur Institute and fellow vaping groups AIDUCE and La Vape du Cœur. SOVAPE has paid to keep its website available for 10 years, and maintains videos of Vape Summit proceedings on its Youtube channel.

    “We regret that we are no longer able to cultivate a dialogue to promote the risk reduction approach against the main cause of preventable diseases and premature deaths in France,” SOVAPE said in its post. “We do not regret having tried, but must acknowledge that it is no longer possible for us to lead this fight that is dear to us, and which has nevertheless contributed to saving lives!”

  • Firstunion Technology Recognized in Dortmund

    Firstunion Technology Recognized in Dortmund

    Image: blacksalmon

    Firstunion’s Alkaid Light heating technology received an HNB innovation award on Sept. 19 at the InterTabac exhibition in Dortmund, Germany, according to a company press release relayed by Vaping360.

    That same evening, Firstunion hosted a launch event, showcasing how Alkaid technology addresses consumer concerns such as heating speed, flavor quality, device cleanliness, and health impacts.

    Alkaid light-heating method leverages full-spectrum light waves, mimicking the natural power of sunlight to deliver rapid and uniform heating. According to Firstunion’s Alkaid light-heating technical lead Zhu Bin, this enables the device to preheat in just five seconds, offering users instant satisfaction with a smooth, seamless draw.

    Firstunion claims the technology also delivers superior taste and health benefits that elevate the smoking experience beyond current standards. According to the manufacturer, Alkaid increases the nicotine release efficiency in aerosols by more than 40 percent and boosts total particulate matter by 20 percent, delivering an experience that closely mimics that offered by traditional cigarettes.

    Simultaneously, the technology cuts harmful substance emissions by 20 percent, according to Firstunion. Thanks to its innovative non-contact heating design, Alkaid requires no cleaning, ensuring the device delivers consistent, fresh-tasting flavor even after 5,000 continuous uses, according to the press note.

  • BAT Announces Management Board Changes

    BAT Announces Management Board Changes

    Photo: adragan

    BAT has announced management board changes. Kingsley Wheaton will be appointed as chief corporate officer, a newly created role. Wheaton’s current role of chief strategy and growth officer will cease to exist.

    As chief corporate officer, Wheaton will have overall responsibility for the strategy and execution of the group’s sustainable future pillar, including:

    • Establishing broad acceptance of BAT’s tobacco harm reduction (THR) agenda, working with BAT’s director of research and science, James Murphy, to ensure the scientific basis for harm reduction and encouraging a fact-based discussion on nicotine among key stakeholders;
    • Shaping the landscape through responsible and transparent dialogue with regulators, policymakers and other relevant stakeholders; and
    • Enhancing BAT’s leadership in sustainability and integrity.

    Paul McCrory, director of corporate and regulatory affairs, will continue to report to Wheaton in this role. Donato Del Vecchio, chief sustainability officer, will also continue to report to Wheaton.

    Luciano Comin, marketing director for combustibles and new categories, will be appointed chief marketing officer, reporting directly to Tadeu Marroco, CEO.

    James Barrett, director of business development, will report to Soraya Benchikh, chief financial officer.

    All changes are effective immediately.

    “We will be taking an important step later today in our journey to encourage THR acceptance with the launch of a compelling science and evidential case for THR in the form of ‘The Omni: Forward Thinking for a Smokeless World,’” said Marroco.

    “I would like to thank Kingsley for all that he has done as chief strategy and growth officer. He has stepped into the role at a critical time for BAT and has helped shape the strategy and establish new functional capabilities. In all of these areas, BAT is now stronger and more robust.”

    “I feel honored to take up this new challenge,” said Wheaton. “As BAT moves forward toward ‘A Better Tomorrow,’ the focus on this area of the strategy will be all-important. I am looking forward to bringing my experience and understanding of both BAT and the external environment and making a real difference.”

  • Universal Announces New Leadership

    Universal Announces New Leadership

    Preston D. Wigner will succeed George C. Freeman III as chairman, president and CEO of Universal Corp. on Oct. 1, 2024.

    Wigner joined Universal in 2003. After serving as the company’s vice president, general counsel and secretary for nearly 20 years he was appointed senior vice president of Universal in December 2023. Prior to joining Universal, Wigner served as an associate with the law firms Williams Mullen and Hunton Andrews Kurth.

    According to Universal, Wigner’s appointment is the culmination of a succession planning process conducted by the board of directors and assisted over the past two years by a global leadership advisory firm. Freeman will serve as vice chair of the company through Dec. 31, 2024, and then as a senior advisor through the company’s fiscal year-end on March 31, 2025.

    “George has played a critical role in shaping Universal into the company it is today, and we are grateful for his tremendous leadership,” said Thomas H. Johnson, lead independent director of Universal’s board, in a statement.

    “During the last several years, George and the senior leadership team have consistently delivered value to Universal’s shareholders by driving strong tobacco results and establishing our Universal Ingredients business. With the positive momentum from our most recent fiscal year and the strong beginning to our current fiscal year, now is the right time to implement this leadership succession.

    “We are delighted to name Preston as our next chairman, president and CEO. Preston has been a valued member of Universal’s senior leadership team for many years. With significant tobacco industry experience, active involvement in our ingredients business strategy from its inception, and deep familiarity with our global organization, Preston has the right mix of skills and expertise to drive Universal forward.”

    I am energized by the opportunity to lead our incredible organization and advance our growth strategy by optimizing our leading tobacco business and expanding our ingredients business.

    Preston D. Wigner

    “It is a privilege to be named chairman, president and CEO of Universal at this exciting time in the company’s 100-plus year history,” said Wigner. “I am energized by the opportunity to lead our incredible organization and advance our growth strategy by optimizing our leading tobacco business and expanding our ingredients business.

    “Our future success will build on the foundational work we have accomplished under George’s leadership as well as our continued efforts to develop and pursue innovative strategies, set new standards of social and environmental performance, and motivate and inspire our global workforce. I am grateful to George for his mentorship and friendship, and I look forward to continuing to work with him through the remainder of our fiscal year.”

    “It has been an honor to lead Universal in building and growing our portfolio of agriproducts and extending our sustainable supply chain operations to now support more than 200,000 farmers over five continents,” said Freeman. “We have made incredible advances in the 27 years I have been with Universal, and I thank our talented employees around the world who work tirelessly for all our stakeholders. As I prepare to leave the board, I would also like to thank each director for their support and guidance as we have worked to position the company for success. I have worked closely with Preston, and my decision to retire is made with the utmost confidence in his ability to advance Universal’s strategy with the support of the board and management team and deliver long-term value for our shareholders. I look forward to supporting a smooth transition.”

  • Law Firm Announces Vapor Symposium

    Law Firm Announces Vapor Symposium

    Keller and Heckman will hold its nineth Annual E-Vapor and Tobacco Law Symposium Jan. 27-28, 2025, in Las Vegas, right before the Total Product Expo. This two-day seminar is designed to provide in-depth knowledge on legal, regulatory and scientific issues that are essential for tobacco, nicotine and CBD/hemp product manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and retailers.

    Registration for this seminar, which will be held at the Hilton-Conrad Resorts World Las Vegas, will launch in September 2024.