Leaders of change

Jacek Olczak, CEO, of Philip Morris International speaks in a room.

Our mission is clear: to reduce smoking by replacing cigarettes with less harmful alternatives.

The cigarettes belong in museums.

Since 2016, my company has fully committed to moving away from cigarettes, the most harmful form of nicotine consumption. We have invested more than 10.5 billion U.S. dollars in developing and commercializing smoke-free products—which today account for nearly 35 percent of our total net revenues.

Frustratingly, our ability to make further progress is being blocked by those who are blindly guided by a desire to see an end to the industry rather than an end to cigarettes and this is very frustrating.

This, together with an overreliance on the so-called precautionary principle—which some interpret as “better not to do anything until we know everything”—results in government inaction and more of the same.

Today’s environment and rhetoric make it easier for governments and regulators to do nothing on smoke-free alternatives. It’s perceived as safer for political careers to abstain from the debate completely rather than be seen as siding with us.

But, in the end, this is just prolonging the life of cigarettes and risks shortening the lives of those who use them.

For smokers today, inaction is not a neutral position. It is a choice with real-world outcomes.

We are entering what Churchill called “a period of consequences.”

It is no longer a case of if these smoke-free alternatives are better than cigarette smoking;

it is a case of by how much they are better.

Watch the full speech on our YouTube channel.

Rethink Disruption: The impact of inaction

Philip Morris International logo is seen on screen.

Jacek Olczak, CEO of Philip Morris International, speaks to camera:

Why are we denying people access to the information about these products?

Music starts

Words are seen on screen: Governments can help end cigarettes by adopting a balanced approach to the regulation of smoke-free products.

Lars Dahlgren, President, Smoke-Free Oral Products & CEO, Swedish Match, speaks to camera:

Authorities and politicians and regulators they have the opportunity to influence the consumer choice.

Stacey Kennedy, President, Americas Region and CEO of PMI’s U.S. business, speaks to camera:

If we just expect the 1 billion smokers on the planet to just stop, history over the past decades has told us that's simply not going to happen.

Gregoire Verdeaux, Senior Vice President, External Affairs, speaks to camera:

This is where the cooperation between governments and industry is really critical.

Jacek Olczak speaks to camera:

If we continue with that policy the only thing which we'll achieve is that they will extend the life of cigarettes in the market for decades - not for years - for decades.

Dr Moira Gilchrist, Chief Communications Officer, speaks to camera:

People think, ‘Well all the policies we put in place that have got us here, they will be fine for the future.’

But actually there's a better way.

Stefano Volpetti, President, Smoke-Free Inhaled Products and Chief Consumer Officer, speaks to camera:

Give consumers access to smoke-free alternatives and the right information about them.

Stacey Kennedy, speaks to camera:

We need to provide a lower risk replacement product for the smokers who will continue smoking so that they can reduce their individual risk and we can get to a total harm reduction of the population.

Gregoire Verdeaux, speaks to camera:

If you put the consumer at the very, very start then you will meet what we call the Four A's: the availability of a product...

Lars Dahlgren, speaks to camera:

Make the products available to consumers in a responsible way, then consumers will start making the journey and discover the benefits.

Gregoire Verdeaux, speaks to camera:

The awareness of consumers that a better alternative exists.

Dr Moira Gilchrist, speaks to camera:

We have a very extensive board idea of science that shows unequivocally that these products are better than smoking.

Gregoire Verdeaux, speaks to camera:

The affordability of that product.

Stefano Volpetti, speaks to camera:

Provide better alternatives to all smokers, provide a range of technologies, user experiences, taste and price points that can cater for all smokers around the world.

Gregoire Verdeaux, speaks to camera:

And of course finally acceptability.

Dr Moira Gilchrist, speaks to camera:

It's not going to be one product that suits the needs of every single person who smokes.

Bin Li, Chief Product Officer, PMI, speaks to camera:

When we ask people to quit smoking and change to smoke-free products, their taste, their preferences will be different, will be diverse.

Having a few product categories, having a few choices for our consumers, it will make them easiest to switch

Jacek Olczak, speaks to camera:

I’m very open to having a very mature conversation how we can orchestrate the system? How we can orchestrate the policy?

With different interventions, alternatives products... what else we can do about the smokable products, etc, which ultimately will drive to the full elimination of cigarettes.

Philip Morris International’s logo is seen on screen.

Delivering a better, smoke-free future.