«Make Big Tobacco Pay»: Organizations mobilized to strengthen the tobacco industry’s accountability

NGOs, legal experts, and civil society organizations from across the Americas, Asia, and Africa are mobilizing to demand greater accountability from the tobacco industry for the health, environmental, and economic consequences associated with its products.[1]. This mobilization is part of the global week of action "Make Big Tobacco Pay", organized from 1^er June 5, 2026, coinciding with World Environment Day. In several countries, participating organizations are calling on governments to put in place mechanisms to cover the costs associated with treating tobacco-related illnesses and managing the environmental impacts of tobacco use.

A considerable health, social, financial and environmental cost

Smoking is responsible for more than 7 million premature and avoidable deaths each year worldwide and is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases, including cancers, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, as well as diabetes and tuberculosis.

According to the campaign organizers, the costs associated with treating these diseases and managing tobacco-related pollution amount to more than $1.4 trillion (€1.206 trillion) annually worldwide. They also highlight the environmental impact of cigarette butts, which are made of plastic, as well as the increasing waste from e-cigarettes, which further exacerbates soil and water pollution.

These civil society actors point out that tobacco companies reap colossal profits from the sale of their addictive and toxic products, exceeding the combined profits of Google, Meta, and Apple, which amount to approximately €862 billion annually. However, it is governments and ordinary taxpayers who ultimately foot the bill for healthcare costs, environmental damage, and economic losses associated with tobacco consumption.[2].

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control as a lever for action

The organizations involved point out that more than 180 countries have ratified the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). This international treaty includes, in particular in Article 19, provisions relating to the legal and financial liability of the tobacco industry for damages caused by its products, while Article 5.3 provides for the protection of public policies against interference from this industry.

According to the campaign's promoters, these provisions can be implemented through various regulatory, fiscal, or administrative tools, and not solely through legal action. Such an approach could allow countries whose legal systems do not provide for the possibility of large-scale prosecution of transnational corporations for their liability for damages to nevertheless obtain compensation for victims and remedial measures.

They compared the situation to environmental pollution, arguing that, just as companies are required to pay for environmental damage under the "polluter pays" principle, the same logic should apply to the tobacco industry.

For example, in Nigeria, the federal government filed a lawsuit against the main tobacco companies (British American Tobacco, Philip Morris International, and ITC) as early as 2007 for concealing the health risks of their products, a case that has still not gone to trial. In 2024, A regulatory sanction was imposed on British American Tobacco by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. (FCCPC) of Nigeria.

In Brazil, the government is attempting to implement Article 19 of the UNFCCC to take legal action against the two largest tobacco companies in the country and internationally. Initiated in 2019 by the Attorney General's office, this action aims to obtain reimbursement for treatment costs related to 27 smoking-related illnesses.

International initiatives and a new prize

During this week of action, several events – webinars, media appearances, legal actions, petitions, awareness campaigns – are being organized in parallel in different countries, including Mexico, Brazil, the United States, the Philippines, Nigeria, and Ghana. An international petition aimed at strengthening the financial accountability of the tobacco industry has been launched..

In addition, the Corporate Accountability organization announced the creation of the "Yul Dorado Make Big Tobacco Pay Award", intended to recognize, from next year, public, associative or citizen initiatives contributing to advancing the responsibility of the tobacco industry and the protection of public health.

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1]Chinenye, Global Campaign Demands Tobacco Firms Pay for Health, Economic and Environmental Damage, tori.ng, published on June 2, 2026, accessed on June 3, 2026

[2]Make Big Tobacco Pay, Sri Lanka Guardian, published on June 3, 2026, accessed the same day

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