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Tag: World Health Organization

  • WHO Accuses Industry of ‘Greenwashing’

    WHO Accuses Industry of ‘Greenwashing’

    Photo: nito

    The World Health Organization is urging governments worldwide to ban tobacco industry “greenwashing”—the touting of sustainability credentials as a way to distract from the health and environmental impacts of smoking.

    In a new report, the health groups detail efforts by the tobacco industry to improve its image.

    “This kind of activity gives the impression that the tobacco industry is socially and environmentally responsible,” the report’s authors warn. “Yet this industry is causing an incalculable toll on health to smokers, non-smokers and farmers. And not only is tobacco harming humans, it is also damaging the environment.”

    Tobacco companies frequently tout their environmental credentials, and their efforts have been recognized by independent organizations. Most multinationals feature prominently on CDP’s prestigious A list, for example. CDP is a not-for-profit charity that runs a global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities and regions to manage their environmental impacts. Its process is acknowledged as the gold standard of corporate environmental transparency.

    Tobacco companies also rank highly on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, a global sustainability benchmark that tracks the stock performance of the world’s leading companies in terms of economic, environmental and social criteria.

    Critics contend that ESG rankings and accreditations rarely consider a company’s end-product or service, in this case, ignoring the fact that tobacco products are harmful to human health, according to the report.

    The report says there are more than 600 different ways to assess corporate ESG activity and there are no global, standardized disclosure requirements for companies to follow, which means businesses can edit sustainability data to promote a favorable outcome.

    The authors of the greenwashing reports urge organizations to avoid partnerships with cigarette companies engaged in environmental activities that could promote the industry as an environmental partner.

    The WHO/STOP report also highlights the ecological impact of the tobacco industry. Annually, 32 million tons of tobacco leaf is grown globally to produce 6 trillion cigarettes, according to its authors. It takes about 22 billion tons of water to grow the global crop, often in places where water is limited, they argue.

    The report estimates that nearly 1.5 billion acres of global forest have been lost to tobacco farming since the 1970s. Electronic cigarettes, meanwhile, introduce plastic, nicotine salts, heavy metals, lead, mercury and lithium-ion batteries into the environment.

  • WHO To Review Policies After Denying Vaccine

    WHO To Review Policies After Denying Vaccine

    Photo: Tom

    The World Health Organization is reviewing its policies after the global health body denied Medicago’s Covifenz Covid-19 vaccine emergency-use approval, according to The Times Colonist.

    The WHO denied the vaccine due to the company’s ties with the tobacco industry; Philip Morris is a minority stakeholder in Medicago.

    “Medicago was informed of this decision and has been apprised of WHO’s policies on tobacco,” the WHO stated.

    However, the WHO’s policies may change as the organization reevaluates its policies following the tobacco industry’s attempts to diversify into other categories.

    “WHO is currently holding discussions on how to address a general trend of the tobacco industry investing in the health industry,” the WHO said.

    Once the WHO makes a decision on its policies, the Medicago vaccine application could be reviewed.

    Medicago is waiting on a response from the WHO detailing why the vaccine application was denied. “Once we receive this, we will review the rationale and continue to discuss next steps with our partners and shareholders,” said Takashi Nagao, Medicago’s president.

  • WHO Likely to Reject Medicago Covid Vaccine

    WHO Likely to Reject Medicago Covid Vaccine

    The World Health Organization is unlikely to grant emergency approval Medicago’s tobacco plant-based Covid-19 vaccine due to the company’s ties to the tobacco industry, the CBC reported on March 17.

    The global health body has reportedly paused the process for pre-qualification of Medicago’s new Covifenz shot due to its link to Philip Morris International, which owns about one-third of the Canadian biopharmaceutical company.

    “Due to its connections [to PMI], the process is put on hold,” said Mariangela Simao, the WHO’s assistant director-general for drug access, vaccines and pharmaceuticals, at a March 16 media briefing.

    “The WHO and the U.N. have a very strict policy regarding engagement with the tobacco and arms [industries], so it’s very likely it won’t be accepted for emergency use listing,” she said.

    In February, Health Canada approved Covifenz for adults 18 to 64 years of age, making it the world’s first vaccine approved for human use that utilizes a plant-based protein technology. The Canadian government floated CAD173 million ($136.74 million) to help the company develop the jab and is so far the only country to approve it.

    In October 2020, Canada signed a deal to buy 76 million doses of Medicago’s vaccine, and the shot is expected to be made available to the public in May.

    In a statement published by the CBC, Medicago said it believes authorization decisions should be based on the quality, efficiency and safety of the vaccine, not who owns shares in the manufacturer.

    “It is our understanding that the WHO has made a decision to pause the approval of the vaccine and that this decision is related to Medicago’s minority shareholder and not to the efficacy and safety of the vaccine, which was demonstrated with the approval by Health Canada,” the statement reads.

    Derek Yach, a global health consultant, was aghast by the WHO’s  suggestion that it would reject Medicago’s vaccine based on the company’s relationship with PMI.

    “‘Pikuach nefesh’ is the ethical principle in Jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious rule,” he said. “Most other religions support a variant of this. WHO violates this ethical principle when it denies people access to a lifesaving vaccine.”

    If the WHO follows through, the vaccine would be the first Western-manufactured Covid-19 shot to be rejected by the global health body, according to Bloomberg.