Category: Sustainability

BAT Releases Combined Annual and ESG Report

Image: Celt Studio | Adobe Stock
BAT has issued its first Combined Annual and ESG Report, which embeds detailed information on sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) into its statutory annual report.
New and updated targets have also been announced in the report, including: achieving a 30 percent renewable energy target by 2025, two years early, resulting in a revised target of 50 percent renewable energy by 2030; increasing the initial target of 15 percent reduction in waste from BAT’s operations by 2025 to 25 percent; expanding the scope of BAT’s 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging commitment, beyond just plastic, by 2025; and setting a new target of zero conversion of natural ecosystems in its tobacco supply chain by 2025.
“BAT is proud to further enhance its sustainability reporting with its first Combined Annual and ESG Report,” said Mike Nightingale, BAT’s chief sustainability officer. “Sustainability and ESG matters are increasingly recognized as having a significant impact both on society and on how well a company performs. A combined report shows our strong commitment to transparent reporting and integrating sustainability and ESG matters into how we manage our business.
“We are making good progress in advancing our sustainability strategy and building ‘A Better Tomorrow.’ We are reducing the health impact of our business and further increasing our ambitions as we drive our business transformation. In 2022, for example, we increased the number of consumers using our noncombustible products to 22.5 million while at the same time reducing Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 15 percent versus 2021. We know we have more to do and look forward to delivering on our ambitious targets.”
This report also includes results of BAT’s first Double Materiality Assessment, an approach to assessing impacts that helps the company to further shape the most important sustainability priorities and actions. Such an approach looks not only at how its business impacts sustainability issues but also how sustainability-related matters impact its business.
March 2, 2023
The Gamechanger

Photo courtesy of Hindustan Adhesives
Hindustan Adhesives says its new tear tape is 100 percent sustainable without compromising strength, flexibility and runnability.
TR Staff Report
Hindustan Adhesives, part of the fast-growing Bagla Group of companies from India, is a leading global supplier of packaging materials, such as tear tapes, carton sealing tapes and POF shrink film.
Founded and led by Managing Director Madhusudan Bagla, the company has been active for more than 30 years and has supplied its products to more than 30 countries, with a focus on innovative and environmentally friendly packaging.
Hindustan Adhesives specializes in the production of tear tapes ranging in width from 1.6 mm to 12 mm and ranging in length between 5 km and 120 km. Available in several colors and designs, these products include self-adhesive tear tapes, up to six-color printed tear tapes, carton tear tapes, heat-activated tear tapes, holographic tear tapes, sustainable tear tapes and specially engineered paper tear tapes.
Recently, Hindustan Adhesives launched a new range of sustainable tear tapes dubbed The Gamechanger.
The product was developed in response to bans on single-use plastic in India and other countries. Keen to promote sustainable manufacturing and consumption, India’s federal government in August 2021 amended the country’s Plastic Waste Management Rules from 2016, prohibiting a number of single-use plastic items with high littering potential.
The legislation took effect July 1, 2022. To comply with the new requirements and at the same time keep their customers satisfied, Indian cigarette manufacturers required a tear tape that would not only be 100 percent sustainable but would also be cost effective and have the same strength and clarity as existing tear tapes.
Madhusudan Bagla
“As single-use plastic bans come into effect globally, packaging makers are looking for new ways to eliminate plastics and incorporate more sustainable elements into their designs,” said Bagla. “At Bagla Group, we have also been identifying new ways to help our customers design sustainable packaging solutions while maintaining the performance of traditionally plastic-based tear tapes.”
Replacing a 30-year-old widely used product is a tall order, however, and required changing the mindset of customers who had become accustomed to the strength, flexibility and smooth runnability of the established tear tapes. Compared with their plastic counterparts, many existing sustainable tear tapes had limitations in those areas.
Bagla was determined to overcome those limitations. After numerous trials, changes in recipes and processes, his company developed a product that was not only sustainable but also had qualities similar to those of the MOPP 26-micron tear tapes. Thus, The Gamechanger was introduced in India.
“They thought we couldn’t do it, but we surprised our customers and competitors alike,” said Bagla, who went on to express his appreciation for the tobacco companies’ support, guidance and feedback “without which this product would not be possible.”
The base film is derived from renewable resources and is compostable according to DIN EN 13432:2000-12, DIN EN 14995:2007-03 and ASTM D6400:2012-01 as well as D6868 and ISO 17088: 2008, among other certifications. It is also formulated to comply with EU legislation for most food contact applications.
Hindustan Adhesives started developing The Gamechanger in 2021 and commenced trials on customer machines in January 2022. During the development process, the company overcame several challenges. One was the lead time of the base material. The disruption to international transportation due to Covid-19 and other factors caused shortages. Through clever planning and strategizing, Hindustan Adhesives managed to prevent disruptions to its customers.
Another challenge was the process. The sustainable tape has different requirements than standard MOPP tape in terms of adhesives, which requires some equipment and operator adjustments. This is where Hindustan Adhesives’ experienced R&D and quality control teams came in. The marketing team, in turn, was instrumental in distributing the product for sampling, testing and visual inspection.
“Our team went to each and every customer’s factory and ensured smooth running by giving various tips and tricks,” said Bagla. “I am immensely proud of our team and thank them for all their efforts, right from purchasing raw materials to making the product and selling it.”
After identifying all opportunities for improvement and optimizing the product, Hindustan Adhesives released its product in India. The Gamechanger quickly captured 100 percent of India’s sustainable tear tapes market, with Hindustan Adhesives selling the product to all cigarette manufacturers in the country, according to Bagla. Since the single-use plastic ban took effect, the company’s overall tear tape sales have increased by 60 percent.
But Hindustan Adhesives’ commitment to sustainability does not end after the product has been manufactured; it also includes getting certifications from national and international bodies. Over the past 15 months, the company has earned certifications from the Central Pollution Control Board of India and the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology in India.
Following its success in India, Hindustan Adhesives is already looking at opportunities abroad. “We have captured the domestic market through our efforts in innovation and development,” said Bagla. “We would now like to introduce this product globally so as to do our bit for the global environment.”
As part of its efforts to promote its sustainable tear tape internationally, Hindustan Adhesives will be participating in TabExpo Bologna, May 10–11. Encouraged by the product’s success in India, Bagla is confident that international customers, too, will soon understand why the company’s new tear tape is called The Gamechanger.
March 1, 2023
Study: Filter Ban Only Way to Halt Pollution

Photo: Yakiv
Banning cigarette filters is the only way to stop tobacco product pollution, according to a new study published by the Dutch sustainability think tank CE Delft and reported by Dutch News.
Every year, Dutch smokers discard an estimated 200 million to 7.1 billion cigarette butts into the environment.
The current policy of limiting toxic waste by discouraging smoking is not working, according to CE Delft. The organization is also skeptical about the potential of butt deposit schemes. Consumer research has shown that just over one quarter of smokers said they would be willing to hold on to their butts until they had an opportunity to discard them at a collection point.
Dutch Junior Environment Minister Vivianne Heijnen wants to reduce the number of discarded filters, which contain plastics and chemicals, by 70 percent in 2026. The current measures, which include general awareness campaigns and a smoking ban on beaches, have resulted in only a 15 percent decrease, CE Delft found.
In 2022 alone, volunteers collected almost 90,000 cigarette butts during a two-week cleanup of the Dutch beaches, amid 4,400 kilos of waste left by beachgoers.
A ban on cigarette filters will become feasible in 2026 when the European Union will review its rules on single-use plastics, the report noted.
February 27, 2023
Zimbabwe Debates Curing Fuel Options

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
Tobacco grower representatives in Zimbabwe are urging contractors to provide their members with sustainably produced wood rather than coal for leaf curing, according to an article in The Herald.
The compliance enforcement framework (CEF) agreement signed by tobacco buyers and the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board requires contractors to fund tobacco growing inputs, such as fertilizer and curing fuel.
Under the CEF, a 1 hectare pack for small-scale production includes 500 kg of coal or its sustainable wood equivalent as curing fuel.
While most contractors are providing farmers with coal, grower representatives believe wood is more sustainable. “We think wood of an equivalent to the coal component would be better as less charges would be incurred by farmers in U.S. dollar terms,” said Tobacco Farmers Union Trust Vice President Edward Dune.
“Sustainable wood is the way forward as coal use is unsustainable and will likely be phased out in the near future if the current lobbying by environmentalists prevails,” echoed Rodney Ambrose, CEO of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association.
In 2021, the Zimbabwean government crafted the tobacco value chain transformation plan, which seeks to increase tobacco production to 300 million kg by 2025.
The plan emphasizes sustainable production through reforestation programs, fuel-efficient curing facilities and the use of alternative energy sources for curing. It calls for research into the suitability as a fuel source of alternative tree species, such as giant bamboo.
February 6, 2023
Call for Innovation to Facilitate Recycling

Image: alexlmx
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) is calling upon its members and the wider industry to innovate products that make them easier to recycle for the waste management sector.
The move comes as pressure mounts to ban single-use disposable devices.
On Jan. 3, upmarket supermarket chain Waitrose announced a complete withdrawal from the single use vapes market. “Selling single use vapes is not something we could justify given the impact on both the environment and the health of young people,” said Commercial Director Charlotte Di Cello.
While environmental campaigners applauded the move, vaping advocates said Waitrose could do more to protect both public health and the planet by instead refusing to sell combustible cigarettes, which are the world’s most littered item.
Just five days later, Scottish Ph.D. student Laura Young made national headlines in the U.K. when a video she posted on Twitter of her collecting 55 discarded disposable vapes while out walking her dog went viral.
Young, who goes by the Twitter handle @LessWasteLaura, gained public support when she posted two more follow-up posts and called for single-use vapes to be banned.
Following the publicity surrounding her anti-disposable campaign, the Scottish government said it was “considering the emerging issues around single-use disposable vapes’ and urged consumers to dispose of them responsibly.”

“We are working to find a waste management solution that minimizes the impact of vapes on the environment so they are seen for what they do best—helping adult smokers kick their habits.”
John Dunne, director-general, UKVIA
According to the UKVIA, as campaigns like this gain traction, it may be only a matter of time before regulators decide to look closer at the disposable sector of the vape market.
UKVIA Director-General John Dunne said that while the vaping industry recognizes its responsibilities to the environment, the recycling of vapes requires collaboration between adult vapers, retailers, manufacturers, the regulators and companies in the waste management sector, which are involved in the current producer compliance schemes under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations.
“Up to now, there has been genuine confusion amongst the vaping sector about their responsibilities under the WEEE directive,” said Dunne in a statement. “Earlier this year, the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment alluded to uncertainty around whether regulations covered the type of batteries found in vapes and also questioned the recycling infrastructure in place to support the sector to be more sustainable.
“This is why we are working hard as an industry to find a waste management solution that minimizes the impact of vapes on the environment, particularly when it comes to single-use disposables, so they are seen for what they do best—helping adult smokers kick their habits and save the lives of millions as well as millions of pounds for the health service.”
January 16, 2023
Pyxus Releases 2022 Sustainability Report

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
Pyxus International released its Fiscal Year 2022 Sustainability Report. This is Pyxus’ first sustainability report following the release of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework in December 2021.
“This report marks a significant milestone in Pyxus’ sustainability journey. It provides stakeholders with a comprehensive understanding of how our ESG framework and business strategy are intertwined and reaffirms our commitment to transparent reporting as we execute against our measurable ESG goals,” said Pyxus President and CEO Pieter Sikkel in a statement. “We are excited to share tangible examples of our progress as we work to transform people’s lives and improve the communities in which we operate.”
“I am proud of the progress made against our global ESG goals, which was achieved in spite of operational hurdles, including two consecutive years of La Nina. This is a prime example as to why we must continue to identify innovative solutions and collaborate with like-minded companies to drive the greatest global impact so that together we can grow a better world,” said Sikkel.
January 3, 2023
Universal Releases 2022 Sustainability Report

Image: Romolo Tavani | Adobe Stock
Universal Corporation released its 2022 Sustainability Report.
“Sustainability continues to be an essential part of how we conduct business at Universal. We are committed to disclosing our operational activities as well as our sustainability performance in a consistent and transparent manner,” said George C. Freeman III, Universal’s chairman, president and CEO, in a statement. “We have updated our materiality assessment and are excited about the new information and disclosures within our 2022 Sustainability Report. We are also proud to announce an improvement in our CDP Climate Change and Forestry scores and will continue to build on our disclosures into the future.”
Universal’s 2022 Sustainability Report focuses on the company’s material sustainability topics as well as its environmental, social and supply chain goals. Data disclosed in this report reflects activities from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022.
December 20, 2022
Companies Strengthen Sustainability Creds

Photo: Deemerwha studio
Leading cigarette makers are strengthening their sustainability credentials.
Philip Morris International, for example, recently announced new ambitions to “preserve nature” via biodiversity and water stewardship.
These ambitions include protecting nature by achieving no net loss on ecosystems connected to PMI’s value chain by 2033; contributing toward a net positive impact on nature by 2050; scaling solutions toward a positive impact on water resources, measured as volume of water optimized and restored, by 2033; and contributing toward a positive impact on water resources by 2050.
“As our new ambitions demonstrate, PMI understands that decarbonization, biodiversity protection, forestry management and water stewardship are deeply connected. We aspire to lead by example in the responsible and sustainable management of natural resources that can allow the promotion and protection of natural ecosystems,” said Jennifer Motles, chief sustainability officer, in a statement.
PMI’s strategies to “tackle climate change” and “preserve nature” have been recognized by CDP, a not-for-profit charity that runs a global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities and regions to manage their environmental impacts. On Dec. 13, 2022, PMI received the Triple A score for its efforts across climate, forests and water stewardship.
Imperial Brands, meanwhile, recently received a CDP Climate A score for a fourth successive year. The company has committed to reaching science-based net zero emissions by 2040 through a five-step approach outlined in its 2022 annual report. Earlier this year, the business was named as a Supplier Engagement Leader by CDP for a third successive year and as a Climate Leader by the Financial Times.
“There is no other path than for all companies, all governments and all of society to pull together and get behind the decarbonization commitments that have been made,” said Tony Dunnage, global ESG (environmental, social and governance) director at Imperial, in a statement. “Our A score reflects our commitment to reducing our impact on the climate throughout our value chain, and we know that we can make a meaningful contribution.”
Imperial was also rated A- by CDP for water security—an improvement on the B rating achieved a year earlier—and a C for its first response in a number of years to the forests survey.
Japan Tobacco, too, has strengthened its commitment to sustainability. The company has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia-Pacific Index (DJSI Asia-Pacific) for the ninth consecutive year.
The DJSI is a globally recognized ESG stock index and sustainability benchmark that tracks the stock performance of the world’s leading companies in terms of governance and economic, environmental and social dimensions, with constituents selected on the basis of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment. The DJSI Asia-Pacific is an index of companies in the Asia-Pacific region, which is reviewed once a year and whose constituents are selected from approximately 600 major companies in the region.
“We are honored that this year, again, JT has been selected in the DJSI Asia-Pacific,” said JT Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Hisato Imokawa in a statement. “We believe that our inclusion in the index for the ninth consecutive year is the recognition of our earnest efforts to address ESG issues across our value chain. We are committed to promoting transparent and accurate disclosure of nonfinancial information, which has been a vital part of our agenda in recent years, and we recognize
that this is an important initiative to promote stakeholder engagement and dialogue.”
December 14, 2022
KT&G Recognized for Sustainability

Photo: KT&G
KT&G received the Prime Minister’s commendation in the general environmental, social and governance (ESG) sector at the 2022 Sustainable Management Government Award ceremony at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Government Award for Sustainable Management is the only government award in the sustainable management sector given by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. It is awarded to institutions or organizations that have contributed to the expansion and leadership of sustainable management, thereby enhancing industrial competitiveness, creating social values and generating achievements.
KT&G was recognized for its efforts to establish and execute a mid-term to long-term vision of environmental management that extends throughout the value chain; for receiving the Equal Salary Certification from the European Commission for the first time for a listed company in South Korea; and for evaluating and supporting the ESG of partner companies to build partnership.
“We are actively promoting the ESG management at the group level to enhance long-term corporate value,” said Kim Jin-han, director of KT&G’s strategic planning, in a statement. “We will continue to strive for mutual growth with our shareholders and other stakeholders through various sustainability management activities.”
December 13, 2022
FEELM Presents Sustainable Vape

Illustration: FEELM
Smoore’s atomization platform FEELM has introduced a new sustainable product series, called Future.
Future is made with recycled paper rather than plastic and its design integrates the product’s body and packaging. The device contains post-consumer recycled material and bio-based material, reducing plastic use by 60 percent and curbing carbon emissions by up to 58 percent, according to FEELM.
After use, the product can be easily disassembled. Consumers can separate internal components, such as the battery core, plastic and e-liquid tank, and recycle them separately.
“The series is our latest sustainable design concept, aiming to make it easier for consumers to dismantle and dispose of products responsibly, whilst solving the environmental problems caused by littering,” says Totom Lu, director of FEELM’s design team.
The solution was developed in part with an eye on upcoming regulation. The EU for example intends to require disposable vapes to have removable and interchangeable batteries as early as 2025, according to FEELM.
The company believes that countries should improve the collection and recycling of electronic equipment, and to make it easier for consumers to properly dispose of their vapes. In a press note, FEELM said it would welcome any initiative that could standardize the free collection of disposable vapes at the point of sale, as well as awareness initiatives to educate consumers on the importance of recycling their devices properly.
November 30, 2022