Tobacco giant British American Tobacco has posted its annual sustainability report, in which the business has pledged to up its investment in harm reduction, sustainable agriculture, and corporate behaviour.
The group said that it is continuing its investment in ‘researching, developing and commercialising potentially reduced-risk alternatives’, which are now available in 29 of the country’s markets around the world.
The firm is also investing £60 million annually on promoting sustainable agriculture and enhancing farmer livelihoods.
It has implemented a new digital farm monitoring system to this end, which will ensure that ‘issues are identified and addressed in real time’, it said.
It has also launched a new platform to enable employees to speak up about any potentially unethical behaviour in its supply chain without fear of reprisal.
Transformation Process
“I firmly believe that the approach we have taken in my tenure, integrating sustainability across all of our operations, will strongly support our transformation for many years to come and our sustainability agenda is a real source of personal pride.
“I have seen BAT evolve and grow throughout my career, and am confident that this will continue during the dynamic period of change the industry is going through today,” said Nicandro Durante, outgoing British American Tobacco chief executive.
“As I hand over to my successor, I know the company is in great hands and that the ground has now been set for our PRRPs to reach even more consumers in the future.”
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
