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Tag: Ben Dessart

  • GTNF Keynote Challenges Tobacco Control’s Approach

    GTNF Keynote Challenges Tobacco Control’s Approach

    Benjamin Dessart, head of external affairs at Universal Corporation, used his GTNF 2026 keynote in Lisbon to compare the regulatory approaches of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), arguing that transparency, stakeholder participation and due process produce stronger policymaking. Dessart said climate policy has embraced collaboration with industry, while an increasingly restrictive interpretation of FCTC Article 5.3 has limited participation by tobacco-industry stakeholders. He contrasted the UNFCCC’s Article 6, which calls for public participation in addressing climate change, with FCTC Article 5.3, which requires parties to protect tobacco-control policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.

    Dessart said the difference has become increasingly visible at the respective Conferences of the Parties, noting that climate COPs provide greater public access and increasingly engage industry, while tobacco COPs have tightened observer and media access. He presented a regression analysis of 48 European countries comparing FCTC implementation levels with changes in tobacco use from 2000 to 2025. According to his presentation, the analysis produced an R-squared of 0.02 and a p-value of 0.32, indicating no statistically significant relationship between the level of FCTC implementation and reductions in tobacco use.

    Dessart pointed to the U.S., which is not a party to the FCTC, as an example of a country that engages stakeholders and has adopted a harm reduction approach. He said U.S. tobacco use declined 23.4% between 2000 and 2025, compared with declines of 25.9% in the United Kingdom, 26.7% in Austria, 30% in Sweden and 33% in Norway. He concluded by calling on industry, farmers, retailers and consumers to participate when governments seek input and said industry must be “a trusted partner” by being transparent, consistent and intellectually honest.

  • Climate Policy and Sustainability Take Center Stage at GTNF 2026

    Climate Policy and Sustainability Take Center Stage at GTNF 2026

    GTNF 2026’s “Innovative Responses to Climate Change & Global Climate Policy” panel examined how the nicotine industry is responding to environmental pressures through sustainability strategies, regulation, and industry-government cooperation. Moderator Ben Dessart, vice president of external affairs at Universal Corporation, opened by stressing the need for industry to “be part of the conversation.”

    Nicole Austin, director of sustainability engagement and strategic partnerships at Philip Morris International, said sustainability must be integrated across business decisions rather than treated as a separate initiative. She identified combustible products as the company’s largest negative environmental impact and smoke-free products as its largest positive contribution, with PMI’s strategy focused on making cigarettes obsolete by addressing both supply and demand. Austin said, “Reacting is much more expensive than predicting,” emphasizing long-term planning to mitigate risk.

    Aylèn Van Isseldyk, founder and director of THR, Ethics and Sustainability, focused on the environmental challenges posed by disposable vaping products. She said the industry cannot allow advances in nicotine delivery to create a new source of environmental harm and argued for proportional policies that consider both human and environmental health while protecting vulnerable populations. Miranda Kinney, senior vice president and global head of corporate affairs and impact at Pyxus, emphasized the need for industry and governments to work together and said environmental efforts should begin with farmers rather than at the manufacturing stage. She said educating farmers about why environmental practices matter can change how they handle materials such as plastic. Tadas Lisauskas, president and co-founder of Greenbutts, said regulation and compliance will be key to driving adoption of biodegradable products, arguing that large companies need regulatory certainty to justify allocating budgets to solutions that consumers may not yet demand.