Tobacco and alcohol companies are at the forefront of closing the gender pay gap, reports MSN, citing a study of major U.K. companies.
While typically shunned by ethical investors, these so-called sin companies are contributing more to gender equity than some of their less controversial counterparts.
BAT, for example, is going beyond the call of duty on gender pay, according to the research. Other top performers in this field include Guinness owner Diageo, Reckitt and Unilever.
Across the board, the gender pay gap remains stuck at 9.4 percent in favor of men—the same as five years ago when firms first had to publish figures.
All sectors continue to pay men more than women, but some are worse than others, with banking and finance, construction and education among the biggest offenders.
U.K. firms, charities and public sector departments that have 250 staff or more must publish their gender pay gap on a government website.
The Vandermarliere Family of Cigars (VFC) inaugurated its Las Mesitas tobacco processing center near Esteli, Nicaragua, on Jan. 27.
Together with the Las Llantas facility, Las Mesitas will store, process and ferment tobacco for Oliva Cigar Co.’s Tabolisa factory.
“As manufacturers of the world’s finest cigars, we are also guardians of quality, on an everlasting quest to find perfection,” said VFC CEO Fred Vandermarliere during the opening ceremony, where nine members of the Vandermarliere family cut the ribbon. “We are now well-equipped for that mission.”
According to Vandermarliere, Las Mesitas and Las Llantas each embody the company’s goal of offering cigar lovers the best product time and again. “They close the circle of production from seed to cigar and assure the entire loop is structured to aim for maximum quality. We control every aspect of the premium item you fire up to enjoy a unique moment,” he said.
Employing 320 people and featuring state-of-the-art technology, the Las Mesitas complex represents not only a major long-term investment, but also a boost to the local community.
“You can’t talk about quality that stems from exceptional origin and is forged by exceptional people without talking about fairness,” said Ernesto Milanes, head of the tobacco operations of the Longfiller group. “We invest in the local community because we want every premium cigar to connect everyone involved: from farmer to worker to aficionado. That’s the other circle—the circle of purpose.”
The company’s support of the local community is a long-term commitment, according to Fred Vandermarliere. “One lifetime is only a short period of time, but what we build, survives us; it serves many generations to come,” he said.
Imperial Brands reported net revenue of £15.41 billion ($19.32 billion) for the first half of 2023, down 0.3 percent from the same period in 2022. Operating profit rose 27.7 percent to £1.53 billion. On an adjusted basis, net revenue declined 1 percent to £3.66 billion, while operating profit grew 0.8 percent to £1.72 billion.
“We are now in the third year of our five-year strategy, and this means we are moving from the initial foundation building phase to a period of improving financial delivery. We remain strongly committed to an ongoing program of shareholder returns and will complete our initial £1 billion buyback during the second half,” said Imperial Brands CEO Stefan Bomhard in a statement.
“Business performance for the first half of fiscal year 2023 was resilient, despite temporarily increased volume declines against a strong comparator. As expected, this reflects a return to pre-Covid buying patterns as well as our decision to exit Russia last year. In tobacco, we have delivered further share gains in aggregate across our portfolio of top five markets, while also achieving strong pricing to help mitigate the volume declines. We have now recorded stable or growing aggregate market share in these markets in each of the last four six-month periods after many years of sharp declines. In NGP, we have delivered a step-up in innovation with new product and market launches in all three categories: vapor, heated tobacco and modern oral.
I am confident the actions we have taken are creating a stronger, more resilient business capable of driving shareholder returns.
“This performance is underpinned by targeted investments in capabilities and people. Earlier this month we opened a new innovation facility in Liverpool, which brings together consumers, product developers and third-party partners in a single collaborative space. We are making good progress in our programs to modernize legacy systems, and we continue to invest in upskilling our leaders to drive forward our performance culture.
“We remain on track to deliver the acceleration in adjusted operating profit growth in the second half in line with our guidance and expectations. I am confident the actions we have taken are creating a stronger, more resilient business capable of driving shareholder returns through a growing dividend and an ongoing share buyback.”
A recent study comparing lung inflammation between smokers and nonsmokers does not prove any causality between the use of e-cigarettes and lung damage, according to researchers from the Center of Excellence for the acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR) in Catania, Italy.
A recently published study by a team of American researchers compared the scans of the lungs of five electronic cigarette users, five tobacco cigarette smokers and five subjects who never smoked or vaped. Data suggested preliminary evidence that e-cigarette users had greater pulmonary inflammation than cigarette smokers and never smoke/vape controls, implying even a greater damage to health.
In a letter to the editor of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, the CoEHAR researchers expressed their concern about the study. “The very small sample size and low reproducibility of the tests does not allow us to give a precise and scientific answer on pulmonary inflammation caused by vaping because it does not take into consideration fundamental factors, such as the prior exposure to tobacco smoking,” said CoEHAR founder Riccardo Polosa in a statement.
“The very small sample size and low reproducibility of the tests does not allow us to give a precise and scientific answer on pulmonary inflammation caused by vaping because it does not take into consideration fundamental factors, such as the prior exposure to tobacco smoking.
Because it is impossible to decouple the health impact of e-cigarette aerosol emissions from prior tobacco smoke exposure, only long-term follow-up of exclusive vapers who have never smoked can verify potential harm caused by electronic cigarettes use.
CoEHAR stresses the need to develop and adopt shared scientific research standards and a greater control of publication processes: “We often opposes poor quality designed scientific results that are published in prestigious journals without proper scrutiny: researches that only feed an unfounded anti-vape rhetoric based on preconceptions that try to dissuade smokers from making choices that are less harmful to their health,” said Polosa.
Matthew L. Myers is stepping down as the president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) effective July 1. The board of directors has appointed Yolonda C. Richardson, currently the organization’s executive vice president for global programs, as the new president and CEO.
“I want to thank Matt for the extraordinary leadership he has provided to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and throughout his long career fighting the tobacco industry,” said Bill Novelli, chair of Tobacco-Free Kids’ board of directors and president of the organization from 1996 to 1999, in a statement. “Matt and his team at Tobacco-Free Kids have contributed enormously to driving down smoking rates to record lows among both youth and adults in the U.S. and to reversing the tide of the global tobacco epidemic.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve as president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and I am incredibly proud of what our team and our many partners have accomplished,” said Myers. “Through smart, tenacious advocacy and a commitment to health and social justice, we have helped bring about transformative change in the U.S. and around the world. No one is more qualified than Yolonda Richardson to take this organization to new heights and achieve even greater progress in saving lives not only from tobacco, but also from other critical public health issues.”
No one is more qualified than Yolonda Richardson to take this organization to new heights and achieve even greater progress in saving lives.”
“I am deeply honored to be named president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and to continue the work started by Matt Myers and Bill Novelli 27 years ago. There is much to do, but there is also immense opportunity to make large-scale impact,” Richardson said.
The CTFK was created in 1996 with primary funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Since 2006, it has been a partner in the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use.
BAT has appointed Tadeu Marroco as CEO to succeed Jack Bowles, who is stepping down from the board of directors May 15.
Marroco joined BAT in 1992 and was appointed to the BAT board in 2019 as group finance director. He has also served on the BAT management board since 2014, with previous roles including regional director for Europe and North Africa and group transformation director. A comprehensive search for a new group finance director will now commence. Javed Iqbal, who has had an extensive finance career in the group and is currently the director of digital and information, will take on the role of interim group finance director until a permanent successor has been appointed.
“Since our ‘A Better Tomorrow’ strategy was articulated in 2019, we have achieved clear momentum in our New Categories business, have established leadership in key markets and expect to deliver New Categories profitability earlier than originally planned,” said BAT chair Luc Jobin in a statement. “During this time, we have also continued to deliver solid financial results and have returned over £20 billion [$25.03 billion] to our shareholders. On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Jack for his significant contribution as chief executive during this important period.
“To fully deliver on our transformation in a fast-changing environment, we must continue to evolve as a high-performing and agile consumer goods company. In considering succession, the board recognized Marroco’s outstanding track record of developing teams that deliver on our transformation alongside a consistent focus on strong execution and financial performance. We are confident that under his leadership we will further strengthen our relationships with key stakeholders and continue to build A Better Tomorrow and deliver long-term sustainable value for our shareholders.”
“I am honored to be appointed as chief executive of BAT. I wish to thank Jack, who has been instrumental in establishing our A Better Tomorrow strategy,” said Marroco. “Having been at the center of the formulation of this strategy, I am convinced that this is the right strategic path for BAT. In this dynamic environment, I remain firmly committed to focusing on results delivery through executional excellence.
“Throughout my 30-year career with this great company, inclusivity and collaboration have always been at the heart of my leadership approach. My commitment as the new chief executive will be to nurture the passion in BAT for our people, our consumers and our brands. My management team and I will continue to build an increasingly agile and progressive BAT.”
“It has been my privilege to lead BAT since 2019,” said Bowles. “In the last four years, we have set out to transform the business toward ‘A Better Tomorrow’ through a focus on growth of New Category consumer brands, which account for almost £3 billion of revenue. It is now the time for a change of leadership to take the business to the next level.”
In considering succession, the board recognized Tadeu’s outstanding track record of developing teams that deliver on our transformation alongside.
“As I leave, I thank all my colleagues and the board for their support and dedication to this strategy and to the transformation of the business which we achieved. After 20 years in the company I look forward to my next steps. I wish my successor Marroco , who has been our group finance director for four years, and the great team at BAT, all the success to continue the journey. Given the quality of BAT’s talent pipeline, I am confident that BAT will continue to be successful.”
Knowledge Action Change (KAC) has published a briefing to help policymakers, health officials and consumers better understand the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The 10th edition of this event, which normally takes place every two years, is scheduled for November in Panama.
While decisions made at the conference are likely to significantly impact tobacco companies and their customers, industry representatives and organizations advocating for access to safer nicotine products have traditionally been barred from attending the event.
As a result, tobacco harm reduction has been getting short rift at COP meetings despite the fact that the concept is an integral part of the FCTC.
“Harm reduction is explicitly named as one of three tobacco control strategies in the opening lines of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, but at present, the indications are that COP10 is unlikely to result in any decisions that support consumer access to safer nicotine products,” said KAC Director Gerry Stimson in a statement.
“Parties to the FCTC must seize the opportunity in Panama to consider evidence from countries where tobacco harm reduction is saving lives, including the U.K., New Zealand, Sweden, Norway and Japan—and ask why the WHO and its influential philanthropic funders are refusing to do the same.
“With no media present, FCTC COP meetings are shrouded in a secrecy more akin to a U.N. Security Council meeting—and in direct contrast to other COP meetings, for example those on climate change. This briefing paper gives policymakers, health officials and consumers more insight into the processes of COP10 and the opportunity to engage more fully prior to and during the event in Panama,” said Stimson
The government of Australia plans to crack down on illicit tobacco trade and increase tobacco excise by 5 percent annually for three years from Sept. 1, reports The Guardian.
“These changes to tobacco excise are part of the government’s response to the National Tobacco Strategy and related initiatives on vaping and smoking prevention and cessation, and an enhanced regulatory approach to vaping,” the budget papers say.
In addition, Australia will ban the import of all vaping products sold without a prescription, including e-liquid and hardware that contains no nicotine, reports Vaping360.
In a recently published document, the government outlined its long-term vaping and tobacco plan.
The government’s plan comes in the wake of growing concern about disposable nicotine vapes sold in convenience stores. Its proposed measures, however, will also impact Australia’s specialized vape shops.
Rules for non-nicotine vapes will be tightened as well, with a ban on nontobacco flavors and a requirement to sell products in plain packaging.
The government says it will also reduce allowable nicotine strengths and ban disposable vapes outright.
Health Minister Mark Butler blames the tobacco industry—which sells no vaping products in Australia—for creating a “new generation of nicotine addicts.”
Critics say the plan will not benefit public health because it will continue to allow consumers to buy cigarettes—and without a prescription—at every corner store in Australia.
In its press release announcing the new measures, Butler says new tobacco taxes will raise an additional $3.3 billion over the next four years. Australia already has one of the highest cigarette tax rates in the world, which has led to a large illicit tobacco market.
Nicotine vaping products have been illegal in Australia without a prescription for many years, but the laws have been widely ignored by vapers, who imported nicotine from overseas and made their own e-liquid or bought zero-nicotine vape juice from vape shops and added nicotine, according to Vaping360.
In 2021, the previous Liberal coalition government launched a revised prescription-only model for nicotine vaping products and promised to ramp up border enforcement. However, few doctors chose to participate in the prescription program, and most consumers weren’t interested. Vape shops were allowed to continue selling zero-nicotine e-liquid and vaping hardware that contained no nicotine. Soon after, disposable vapes flooded Australia (and the rest of the world).
The current government says it will make it “easier to get a prescription for legitimate therapeutic use,” but it’s not clear that vaping consumers will be eager to jump through medical hoops to buy flavorless or tobacco-flavored, low-nicotine vape products.
The innovative new disposable vaping system FEELM Max was launched during the UK Vaper Expo in Birmingham on May 13.
The FEELM Max is now available in the UK and EU markets. The event was attended by many top-level e-cigarette industry representatives and FEELM clients, including BAT, RELX International, Totally Wicked and KIWI.
A subsidiary of Smoore Technology, the world’s largest vaping company, SMOORE, FEELM unveiled the advanced FEELM Max solution that the company says brings three major breakthroughs to vaping, including the advanced heating technology of the Ceramic Coil S1, a constant power control system and “mindful design,” according to a press release.
The FEELM Max uses the new Ceramic Coil S1, which is designed to deliver “a superior vaping experience” and offers an increased puff count that sets a new benchmark in the market.
Johnny Zhang, assistant president at FEELM
“Benefitting from its cotton-free design and the resulting improvement of e-liquid utilization, the FEELM Max is able to boost puff count by more than 30 percent compared to cotton coil disposable solutions, providing 800 more puffs and setting a new benchmark for 2ml (e-liquid volumes),” said Johnny Zhang, assistant president at FEELM. “This innovation allows products using the FEELM Ceramic Coil S1 to offer increased puff counts while remaining totally compliant with all local regulations.”
Additionally, the new S1 coil decreases the number of impurities created in the heating process by 78 percent, resulting “in fresher breath and no unpleasant aftertaste.”
The new system also has several technological innovations. The FEELM Max solution uses a constant power energy management system for stable vaping. This technology improves taste consistency by 35 percent, which further enhances the user experience, according to the release.
FEELM Max products have a transparent e-liquid tank for both aesthetics and user convenience that allows consumers to easily see how much e-liquid is left in the device.
The first industrial whole-chain recycling program was also introduced by FEELM during the UK event. Collaborating with RELX International in the UK, FEELM has “taken the responsibility for implementing a scheme that will facilitate vape recycling to a fuller extent, thereby minimizing the environmental impact.”
Bing Du, the CEO and founder of RELX International stated at the event: “Thanks to the groundbreaking technology of FEELM Max, and driven by our legendary partnership with FEELM, RELX International is on course to revolutionize the vaping experience across the globe.”
The company’s commitment to making recycling more accessible demonstrates its dedication to environmental sustainability, according to the release. As the initiative gains traction, it could serve as a model for other industries looking to implement eco-friendly practices and engage adult customers in sustainability efforts.
FEELM intends to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in vaping technology, while keeping its commitment to sustainability and compliance at the heart of its operations, according to the release. “The company’s mission to shape a better vaping industry, not only for today but for generations to come, remains stronger than ever,” Zhang said.
New legislation aims to restrict the use and sale of all tobacco products in Portugal, including e-cigarettes and heated tobacco.
A new bill would ban smoking in outdoor spaces next to public buildings such as schools, colleges and hospitals. It will also tighten control over the sale and marketing of cigarettes and other tobacco products in the country.
The aim is that by 2025 tobacco products will only be available for purchase in tobacconists, petrol stations and airports, reports EuroNews.
If enacted, it will no longer be possible to sell tobacco directly or through vending machines in places such as restaurants, bars, concert halls and venues, casinos, fairs and exhibitions. The products will also be prohibited at music festivals.
Portugal is also complying with the European directive of June 29, 2022, which puts heated tobacco products on an equal footing with other tobacco products.
