France: Bitter defeat for Philip Morris

Philip Morris' participation in the tenth anniversary of the Dialogues on Inclusion and CSR, which will be held on May 27 at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, has been cancelled, following the mobilization of public health stakeholders in France and internationally, and the government's decision to make its presence conditional on the exclusion of the cigarette manufacturer.

On May 27, Philip Morris France, through its president Jeanne Pollès, was to participate in the tenth anniversary of the Dialogues on Inclusion and CSR, at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, under the high patronage of the President of the Republic and in the presence of Elisabeth Moreno, responsible for Equality between Women and Men, Diversity and Equal Opportunities. This event, with the aim of promoting companies for their " global, positive, sustainable and responsible impact on our entire society, contributing significantly to the improvement of collective well-being ", was to highlight the global tobacco manufacturer and its wage policy.

The refusal of public authorities to participate in the Dialogues with Philip Morris

The presence of Philip Morris at such an event sparked a very strong reaction from French public health stakeholders, who alerted the French authorities and their European partners. Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy and Finance, reacted quickly, indicating his refusal to participate in such an event in the presence of Philip Morris. Convinced by the arguments presented by public health advocates, the organizers thus excluded Philip Morris from the event.

In recent weeks, two similar events have been cancelled for the same reasons. These successive failures tend to demonstrate the difficulty encountered by the tobacco industry in cultivating a certain credibility with political decision-makers.

The tobacco industry is not a responsible industry

The presence of the world leader in tobacco at an event dedicated to building an economy " more open, inclusive and responsible " contains many paradoxes. First, from a legal point of view, it is a breach of France's international commitments with regard to the WHO Framework Convention, particularly in terms of protecting public policies from interference by the tobacco industry.

Furthermore, the credibility of the discourse developed by the tobacco industry on its social responsibility can legitimately be questioned. Indeed, the manufacturer Philip Morris alone is responsible for the deaths of more than 30,000 people per year in France. In addition, the company, beyond its rhetoric of intent, continues to implement questionable strategies in order to maintain the smoking norm and nicotine addiction. Thus, many publications have, for example, demonstrated the implementation by PMI of aggressive marketing campaigns targeting minors, particularly in low-income countries. Similarly, the environmental damage perpetrated by the cigarette manufacturer is major, as are the involvement of this industry in the exploitation of women, child labor and the organization of tobacco smuggling in West Africa, a source of funding for jihadist organizations and a major factor in regional destabilization.

FT