2020 Retrospective of Tobacco Industry Actions

STOP, the Global Tobacco Industry Monitoring Partnership, has just published a summary of all the questionable actions of the tobacco industry in 2020, and predictions for 2021.

The covid 19 pandemic has been an opportunity for the industry to try to improve its image. Tobacco companies have increased their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in the hope of moral whitewashing and facilitating its exchanges with decision-makers.

Tobacco industry promotes new products amid covid 19 pandemic

COVID-19-related CSR activities were documented in 30 countries in 2020[1] with requests for favors from governments, mainly targeting the relaxation of tax policies and the lifting of restrictions on the consumption and marketing of tobacco and new products.

The year 2020 saw aggressive lobbying to ensure acceptance and promotion of new tobacco and nicotine products. For example, Philip Morris International (PMI), relying on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to classify its heated tobacco product as a modified-risk tobacco product[2], lobbied for regulatory change. Industry, including PMI, extended this corporate strategy to social media, in order to influence the FCTC around the Conference of the Parties (COP)[3], with positive messages about risk reduction from new tobacco products justifying such regulatory changes.

Tobacco industry continues to undermine independent tracking and tracing systems for tobacco products

In May 2020, the South Africa Revenue Service (SARS) was forced to withdraw its tender for a tobacco industry-independent tracking and tracing system following its lobbying[4]In Pakistan, the Court of Justice has overturned the award of the contract for the implementation of a tracking and tracing system to a company with links to the Codentify technology developed by the tobacco industry.[5]. WHO by the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products aims to establish by 2023 a global cigarette tracking and tracing system independent of the tobacco industry.

New products and increased interference are planned for 2021

According to researchers and experts from The Union and the University of Bath and its Tobacco Control Research Group, tobacco companies will continue their CSR efforts to establish partnerships with governments to relax regulations on the sale of heated tobacco products and obtain more favorable taxation for their profits by citing an unproven risk reduction. New products will be promoted to attract young users. Thus, according to its 2019 activity report, it is likely that PMI will deploy its second heated tobacco product, TEEPS, following this year's consumer tests.

Experts also predict that industry will continue to use the fight against illicit trade as an opportunity to partner with governments, including through funding and/or training for customs and law enforcement personnel, as such activities are at odds with both the Framework Convention and the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. Being a cause of this illicit trade, they wish to present themselves as a solution.

Keywords: Tobacco industry, interference, new products, 2020 ©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] STOP, Trading Philanthropy for Favors: Tobacco Industry CSR During COVID-19, August 17, 2020, accessed December 22, 2020 [2] Tobacco Free Generation, WHO comments on new status of Philip Morris IQOS, July 29, 2020, accessed December 22, 2020 [3] Tobacco Free Generation, Tobacco industry's attempts to interfere in COP8 via Twitter, November 17, 2020, accessed December 22, 2020 [4] Tobacco Free Generation, Tracking and tracing of tobacco products: South African tax administration backed into a corner, October 16, 2020, accessed December 22, 2020 [5] Tobacco Free Generation, Traceability of tobacco products: call for tenders annulled by the Pakistani courts, Inexto clearly linked to the tobacco industry, June 2, 2020, accessed December 22, 2020 National Committee Against Smoking |