The social responsibility of cigarette manufacturers, a strictly commercial discourse

In an article published in the journal Tobacco Control, researchers report on the tobacco companies' corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. The paper shows that the tobacco industry's discourse revolves around several pillars: promoting the business aspect of manufacturers, promoting their commitment to health and society, the environment, and their capacity for innovation and transformation.[1].

Present manufacturers as model companies for employees and investors

The tobacco industry capitalizes first on "business excellence," starting with the issue of corporate culture. Manufacturers thus position themselves as attractive employers, promising successful and fulfilling careers, while guaranteeing benefits in the work environment they offer, described as "inclusive," "innovative," or "flexible." The industry also presents itself as a reliable investment with a high level of return. This economic performance is associated with quality governance, enabling the company's long-term development. Finally, this "business excellence" is reflected in the tobacco industry's emphasis on the notion of sustainability, presented as integrated into its economic and commercial performance.

The tobacco industry as a health player

A major theme mobilized by the tobacco industry is social responsibility. In its discourse, the industry presents itself as a player concerned with public health, that of its consumers and its employees. Massive investment in new tobacco products, sold as "harm reduction" tools, reinforces this tendency of the tobacco industry to seize on the health issue. Manufacturers also exploit certain causes, such as child labor, to develop communication aimed at portraying them as actors protecting the most vulnerable. Finally, the tobacco industry presents itself as a champion of diversity and inclusion, and as a defender of minorities, whether ethnic or sexual, for example.

Cigarette manufacturers mobilize for the environment and against climate change

The environmental issue is also central to the tobacco industry's discursive strategy. Manufacturers construct a narrative in which they are active stakeholders in the fight against climate change. This includes showcasing their "commitment to reducing [their] carbon footprint" and all the actions undertaken to protect natural resources. This discourse goes even further, portraying manufacturers as avant-garde actors, voluntarily implementing "ambitious" and "aggressive" policies to combat global warming.

A capacity for innovation and a new range of new products

Finally, the tobacco industry's discourse revolves around the theme of transformation. Tobacco companies position themselves as "proactive" investors in scientific research and innovation. Similarly, this trend is reinforced by the tobacco industry's strategy of capitalizing on new tobacco and nicotine products. This rhetoric about transformation is also a way of seeking to portray a distancing from the health scandals of recent decades, suggesting that these practices are a thing of the past.

A mainly commercial discourse from cigarette manufacturers

However, all of this talk about the social responsibility of tobacco manufacturers is diametrically opposed to the human, health, environmental, social and economic damage caused by the very nature of their activity. Each year, smoking causes eight million deaths worldwide. These practices of corporate social responsibility (CSR), akin to advertising, are contrary to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which encourages Parties to " prohibit contributions from tobacco industry companies to any other entity for "socially responsible reasons." These practices are aimed at improving the tobacco companies' tarnished image among consumers, investors, and public decision-makers. The renormalization of the tobacco industry poses a major health and environmental threat.

FT

[1] Marshman B, Wolf K, McCausland K, et al, Tobacco companies, corporate social responsibility and the use of third-party awards: a framing analysis, Tobacco Control Published Online First: 27 June 2023. doi: 10.1136/tc-2022-057854